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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620348">Stranded</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyOTPFanatic/pseuds/DisneyOTPFanatic'>DisneyOTPFanatic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Audrey Nathan gets mentioned but she's dead so, Daisy ships it so hard, Domestic Philinda, F/M, I like her but I mean, Phil and Melinda fall fast and fall hard, Phil is a potato, Phil is a very very good kisser, Philinda - Freeform, plot device??</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:07:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,993</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyOTPFanatic/pseuds/DisneyOTPFanatic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He's an auto mechanic who left NYC with his daughter after his wife died.</p><p>She's a karate teacher who is trying to get away from the city for the weekend.</p><p>They end up at the same red light when her car decides to break down.</p><p>(Brace yourselves for plenty of domestic Philinda. ALSO this story is VERY fast-paced. I mean, we're talking rom-com "it takes the main characters all of two days to fall in love" fast. Which is sort of what I was going for soooooo enjoy!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Phil Coulson &amp; Melinda May &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Stranded</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I DID IT AND IT'S A DISASTER ENJOY</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Phil Coulson had always had a feeling he would end up being a mechanic. Ever since his dad handed him a wrench and told him to "watch and learn", Phil knew. He watched closely, and within a year he was working right alongside his dad while they restored the cars people brought to their home in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. </p><p>After both of his parents passed, Phil turned his auto mechanic skills towards keeping up the baby blue truck his father had left him, and vowed to teach his own kid how to fix issues under the hood, as his way of keeping the legacy going.</p><p>He moved to New York with his family so that his wife could follow her career as a lead cellist. She was extremely talented, so she ended up busier than they had originally planned for. But his job as a mechanic at the auto body shop close to their apartment made it easy for them to switch off being stay-at-home parents when needed, so that neither of them spent too much time away from each other and Daisy. They never wanted her to come home to an empty apartment and think they had forgotten about her. His boss had understood his predicament, and while his pay wasn't great as a result, Phil appreciated his hours being nice and flexible.</p><p>He'd owned his own shop in this small town for almost three years now. Small town was putting it mildly; this place hardly held a spot on any map, completely overshadowed by the bustling city one state over. Leaving the chaotic yet comforting rush of city life had been hard to do, but he felt it necessary since Audrey had passed. The small yet upscale apartment he and his daughter had continued to live in held too many memories, and there were too many small remnants of Audrey's feminine touch left around. His wife had loved to travel and decorate their home with trinkets from the places they visited. When she was alive, the trinkets were pleasant reminders of their travels, but now that she was gone, they only reminded him of what they had lost.</p><p>Phil had thought he had packed up all of her things and put them into storage, but every once in a while Daisy would point out some little souvenir that he had missed. Rather than dwell on the memories, he would see to it that it would be gone the next day. The only object of hers that he kept was her wedding ring. It didn't feel right to put that away in a stuffy storage unit, so he locked it away in a box that was always in his nightstand's top drawer.</p><p>Losing Audrey was one of the most awful experiences of his life. Daisy's teacher had called Phil to come get her after Audrey failed to pick the little girl up from school that day, which was alarming all by itself. Phil had gotten caught up in traffic, and called the police for a wellness check since Audrey never missed a chance to spend time with Daisy. By the time traffic cleared up and he made it home with Daisy in tow, Audrey was being loaded up into an ambulance by a group of solemn-faced paramedics. Phil ended up in a daze after speaking with them, trying to sort how he might tell his ten-year-old daughter that her mother had suffered a stroke and was basically dead.<br/>
All he could do was stare at the ambulance in front of them and pray for a miracle. They didn't get one, unfortunately. Audrey Nathan-Coulson was pronounced dead an hour after being admitted to the hospital.</p><p>Phil knew nothing on earth could be as painful as explaining to his daughter how a stroke could kill someone she loved. She had sobbed hysterically in his arms, and refused to sleep in her own bed for weeks after that night. But he couldn't blame her. He fell into a deep depression for a while, only eating a little while Daisy was with him so she wouldn't worry, despite the fact that he didn't have an appetite. He would stand beneath the spray in the shower in silence every night before climbing into bed, and would try to hide the tightness of his throat when Daisy snuck in to sleep curled in his arms. She reminded him so much of Audrey, and there were several nights when he would lie wide awake, holding his daughter tightly and wishing he could go back and save his wife so she could be there with them.</p><p>They left NYC a month after her funeral. Phil half expected Daisy to protest, but when he tearfully broke the news to her, she wrapped her little arms around his shoulders and promised she'd be strong for him.</p><p>Which only made him cry harder.</p><p>The realtor told Phil that he had called just in time. There was a house on the market in a little town far from NYC and on the outskirts of another major city, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and plenty of space for running around. They drove out and took a look at the house, and Daisy smiled widely for the first time since Audrey's passing when he asked her what she thought of it.</p><p>"It's perfect."</p><p>On their final trip back to the house with their last load of belongings in the back of his truck, Daisy pointed out a large abandoned shop about half a mile outside of the center of town. You could see it from the edge of town, and had to drive past it to get onto the highway. Daisy had practically given herself a headache explaining what they could do with it, making Phil chuckle as she rattled off different ideas.</p><p>While Phil had thoroughly considered her proposal of turning the place into a giant fort, they eventually both agreed that the auto repair shop he had been dreaming of was a better idea.</p><p>Within six months the shop was doing well, Phil was plenty occupied during the day, and Daisy seemed to be flourishing at her new school. He was grateful that she had become such a social butterfly, she had made plenty of friends and had joined the local soccer team within months of their arrival.</p><p>Sometimes he caught her out on the porch of their new house, talking to the stars when she thought he was already asleep. She would talk about what was going on at her new school, how different it was living in a small town, how much fun being on a team was… he knew she missed her mother terribly, even though Audrey hadn't been the one to bring her into the world. She and Phil had been there ever since Daisy was three months old, and it didn't matter to any of them that she had been adopted from China. She used to tell them she loved them more than she ever would've loved her birth parents, and though he might've taught her that her parents were good people who gave her up for a good reason, Phil couldn't help but grin whenever she said it.</p><p>He couldn't imagine how hard losing Audrey and moving away actually was for his little girl, and if talking to the stars made her feel better, that was fine by him.</p><p>She was thirteen now, one of the smartest and funniest kids he had ever met. She was almost up to his shoulders, with about half a foot to go. Her almost jet black hair had grown down past her shoulders, accented with blonde highlights that she had begged him to get for her 12th birthday. She had picked blonde in memory of Audrey, something that made his heart ache with affection for the little girl who had become his world.</p><p>He remembered the day he and Audrey brought her home. After hours on a plane from China with an adoption agency worker, she had come to them jet-lagged and disoriented. After an almost full night of sleep, her little personality started to show. She had been this little three-month-old wiggling ball of giggling squish. Constantly in motion, accompanied by chubby cheeks and wide brown eyes. They got her settled and used to being around them after two weeks, and soon the apartment was filled with incoherent babbling as if her life depended on it. She had been an early crawler, early walker, early talker, early everything. They had to move like lightning to keep her from snatching every little trinket and piece of paper from every surface she could reach, because it would end up covered in slobber or in her tummy.</p><p>As exhausting as it had been, they had never been happier, and even with Audrey gone he still found pure joy in being Daisy's father.</p><p>Phil smiled to himself as he leaned back in his desk chair, grunting at the way it creaked loudly in protest. He ran a hand over his face, yawning a moment later and glancing at his watch.</p><p>It was already 7pm. He was supposed to be home an hour ago, but the last car that had come in ended up needing more than just a "quick tune-up". Thankfully his team was efficient, and the poor old woman with the lemon for a car was already on her way out the door. It was just a matter of filing the paperwork away, which was sitting half-finished on the desk in front of him.</p><p>"Hey, boss man," Lance Hunter knocked on the doorframe, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Me and the others are gonna run out for drinks if you wanna come."</p><p>"No thanks, Hunter. I gotta get home to feed Daisy." Phil stood and stretched, running a hand through his thick dark brown hair. It was one of the few traits he and Daisy shared, even though she had dyed hers even darker for some reason he didn't understand. "She's probably up to her elbows in twinkies by now which means getting her up for school will be a pain."</p><p>"Knowing her, yeah probably." Hunter laughed, spinning on his heel and walking out with Phil after he stuck the paperwork messily in a folder and locked up his office for the night. "Well, see you tomorrow, boss. Tell Daisy I said hey."</p><p>Phil waved as Hunter jogged off, waving at Bobbi Morse and Leo Fitz who were also heading out. Fitz's wife of a year, Jemma Fitz-Simmons, was Phil's secretary, but had left early due to "stomach pains". </p><p>As if Phil couldn't tell what that meant. Frequent frantic trips to the bathroom and cravings for strange lunch combos weren't exactly subtle signs.</p><p>He watched his team walk off in the general direction of the bar, chuckling to himself at how Hunter tried to sling an arm around Bobbi's shoulders. He knew Hunter had a thing for Bobbi, but as far as he knew, she wasn't all that interested even though she did humor him at times.</p><p>It hadn't been too difficult for Phil to find his team and get his garage set up. Bobbi and Hunter had already been looking for a change, and were happy to leave their retail jobs in the city to work in Phil's garage. Fitz and Jemma had been living in the small town for a few months, living off of their various odd jobs around town until Phil asked if they had any experience with cars. Fitz did, and Phil was happy to hire Jemma to take care of all the paperwork involved in running an auto repair shop. They had become like family, and the shop was thriving to the point where anyone passing through town either on their way to the city or on their way out came by for a quick check-up.</p><p>Phil hopped into his own baby blue truck, smiling fondly at the low rumble it made as the engine fired up. It was an older model, but still in excellent condition. His dad would be proud. Phil grabbed the remote on his dashboard, and watched the large garage door close, before pulling out into the street and heading towards the edge of town while he hummed along to the radio.</p><p>---</p><p>This was why Melinda May didn't like taking advice from Maria Hill. Maria had suggested she hop in her car and just drive, to get away from the hustle and bustle of her job in the city. But Melinda had only been out of the city for a few hours and she already hated it. Not that it was the town she was stuck in that was at fault at all.</p><p>It was this stupid rental.</p><p>The man at the rental place right outside the city claimed she was getting "a bargain on a great car", and she had stupidly believed him. She shouldn't have, but she did. And now here she was, stuck at a red light at the edge of a small town, with no idea what to do. There hadn't been a single car to come by yet, and her cell phone was beginning to die. Almost every light in the shops around her were off, and the lights she could see were much farther down. She could call her ex-husband Andrew, but she was pretty sure her phone would conk out mid-call if she did.</p><p>So there she was, staring up at the ceiling of a piece of garbage car, trying to decide if it would be quicker to walk all the way home or if she should just walk through town and hope she could find help. Her eyes began to burn, her vision clouding the slightest bit in frustration.</p><p>She hadn't taken a vacation in years, and when she finally decided to, she got stuck. This had to be a sign, a sign that she wasn't supposed to go out and experience new things since she had divorced Andrew.</p><p>It had been a mutual decision, both of them realizing that they had no time for each other anymore. He was always busy with his clients, and she was always so occupied with her students that they hardly ever saw each other. There was always one of them wandering into bed late at night, while the other was fast asleep with no idea they were there until morning, when they were busy getting ready to spend all day away from each other. It was better for both of them to part as friends.</p><p>But that didn't mean everyone supported their decision.</p><p>Her parents had been upset, because they absolutely adored Andrew. They thought she was making a mistake, even though she explained multiple times that she was not happy.</p><p>Her friends had been confused, wondering how she could let a man like him get away from her. Over time, Melinda realized that those friends only stuck with her because of Andrew, and soon it was just she and Maria Hill. She met Maria when she bought her karate dojo, because Maria owned a shop right next to them that sold random comic books about unknown and obscure heroes. They eventually ended up rooming together in the large apartment above Melinda's dojo, and it was probably the best decision Melinda had made to date. Maria, although sometimes pushy and over the top, was a constant source of support and laughter..despite the fact that Maria kept trying to set her up with every man she knew with a pulse.</p><p>Melinda let out a long sigh, deciding she might as well heft her duffle bag of clothes onto her back and start walking until she ran into someone. She was used to being independent and could defend herself if needed, so a walk through a town she didn’t know anything about was nothing but an inconvenience. She wasn’t afraid, even though the entire street was bathed in the ominous yellow that came from the streetlights that lined it. Hopefully someone was still up and knew their way around a car. </p><p>She had just closed the door to the car when a baby blue truck pulled up.</p><p>"Hey, you need some help?"</p><p>May's gaze shot to the driver of the truck, her heart doing a little leap of joy that someone had finally found her. Thankfully she wasn't the type to get too emotional over something like this and was able to mask her happiness with a sigh of relief.</p><p>"Absolutely." She nodded, smiling. "That would be great."</p><p>Although his face was mostly obscured by the darkness inside the truck, she could still see the grin on the driver's face as he put the truck in park.</p><p>"Okay, hold on a sec."</p><p>Phil hopped out after turning on his hazard lights just in case someone came through, walking around to the back to grab his jumper cables. Since it was fairly dark out, he wasn't exactly sure who he was about to help, but that didn't stop him. It was clear that whoever it was needed help, and who better to get them moving than a literal auto mechanic?</p><p>When he rounded his truck and she turned to face him after tossing her bag back into the backseat of her car, his stomach did a weird little twist and his heart thudded in his chest.</p><p>She was beautiful, gorgeous really. Probably the most beautiful woman Phil had ever seen, and that was saying something considering how much traveling he had done. Silky black hair tied up in a ponytail cascaded down her back, the strands that had managed to escape carefully tucked behind her ear. She was Asian and shorter than him, but he had a feeling she wasn't helpless if the bruises on her knuckles were any indication. She wore sweatpants and a workout tee, which was a little surprising. The small town had an even smaller gym, and he hadn't seen anyone even remotely like her in the past three years.</p><p>He would have remembered her.</p><p>"Thanks for stopping." She sighed, crossing her arms. "I've been sitting here for forever and I have no idea what's going on with this car."</p><p>Phil suddenly felt self-conscious in his greasy work clothes. He chuckled nervously as he moved towards the front of her car, forcing himself to clear his head and focus on the task at hand.</p><p>"Uh, yeah, no problem. Luckily I'm a mechanic, so maybe I can figure out how to get you goin again." He smiled, meeting her gaze with his signature reassuring nod.</p><p>"Perfect." She laughed softly, shifting her gaze to the stoplight above them when their gazes lingered on each other for just a second too long. </p><p>He had beautiful blue eyes, the type that reminded her of a calm ocean at daybreak. That coupled with the fluffy dark hair and his boyishly good looks had her heart fluttering, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from mentioning it.</p><p>"So...what happened?" He asked after a moment, walking around the car slowly to check for any external damage. Thinking of her as just another customer was helping to calm the butterflies in his stomach, so he approached this situation as he would in his shop.</p><p>"Not sure. I was driving, I heard a bunch of clanking, and then it just stopped."</p><p>"Hm. You said clanking?" Phil paused in his walk-around, peering over the top of the car to raise an eyebrow at her.</p><p>"Like metal hitting metal." She shrugged, crossing her arms, unable to fight the smile on her lips when his brow furrowed adorably in thought.</p><p>"Right." He thought a moment, a bit thrown off by her smile. He cleared his throat, moving towards the front of her car. "Could you pop your hood for me? I wanna make sure your battery isn't damaged."</p><p>Melinda nodded, ducking back into the car and pulling the tab that released the hood. Smoke poured out immediately, and she hurried to the front to find him coughing up a storm and waving away the smoke.</p><p>"Guess I'll need more than a jump, huh?" She laughed bitterly, letting out a sigh. "Sorry about that. You okay?" </p><p>"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He chuckled, coughing one more time as he slowly opened the hood all the way. "Trust me, I've seen worse than this."</p><p>"Worse?" Melinda's brow furrowed, stepping forward a little to watch him start fiddling with her battery.</p><p>Phil chuckled a little, ducking from underneath the hood to give her a lopsided grin.</p><p>"Imagine pure black smoke pouring out of both ends of a car, filling an entire garage to the point where no one can stand to be anywhere in the general vicinity."</p><p>Melinda blinked, her eyebrows shooting up in shock. Phil laughed softly at her expression. </p><p>"Yeah that's how we reacted too." He leaned over the engine, frowning in mild annoyance. "Oof."</p><p>"Oof?" Melinda frowned as well.</p><p>"Um...yeah, I think I know what this is." He stepped back from the car, wiping the grease from his hands off on his pants. "I should be able to fix this issue back at my shop; all of my tools are there. I won't even charge you."</p><p>"Oh, no, I don't wanna inconvenience you." Melinda said dismissively, waving her phone a little. "I can just call my ex-husband to come pick me up. I'll have the car towed. It's just a rental anyway."</p><p>"Oh, okay. Well… since it's pretty dark out I can wait with you until he gets here." He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I personally wouldn't feel right leaving you out here alone. It's kinda late."</p><p>Melinda tried not to smile yet again, but found it hard to resist when he gave her one of his own.</p><p>"Sure, thanks."</p><p>---</p><p>If Melinda really thought about it, she had had worse vacations.</p><p>Leaning against the side of her rescuer's truck, staring at her broken-down rental, chatting with who she was beginning to think of as her guardian angel… at least she wasn't alone anymore.</p><p>She learned his name was Phil Coulson, that he had a thirteen-year-old daughter named Daisy, and that he was a huge comic book nerd. She told him her name was Melinda May, that she was a karate teacher in the city, and that she had personally stepped into a comic book shop a total of three times.</p><p>He had laughed at that, and she discovered that his laughter could easily become one of her favorite sounds. It was a warm laugh, the kind that filled the air and made anyone who heard it want to smile.</p><p>" I guess we have more in common than we thought." He smiled, sliding his hands into his pockets.</p><p>"I have to be honest," she said, pulling the hair tie from her ponytail with a soft sigh of relief. "The only reason I went in there at all was because I needed my roommate's key and she owns the shop."</p><p>"Woooooooow." Phil laughed, holding his hand up to his heart as if offended. "And here I thought we were bonding, only for you to lie to me?"</p><p>"Not exactly a lie, just omission of the truth." Melinda laughed as well, rolling her eyes when her phone beeped. She dug it out, sighing at the "LOW BATTERY" notification that had popped up yet again. She grunted, deciding to try dialing Andrew again before her phone gave up completely. </p><p>Being one of the nation's top psychologists meant he was usually very very busy, which she fully understood, but now was possibly the worst time for him to be unavailable. She was starting to hate his answering machine message.</p><p>"Hello, you've reached Dr. Andrew Garner's office. I'm either with a patient or out of the office. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible."</p><p>"Andrew, it's Melinda...Again. I'm still stranded. Call me when you get this."</p><p>She hung up the phone, sighing heavily and leaning her head back against his truck with a dull thud.</p><p>"Still not answering?" Phil asked softly, searching her face. She really did have a great profile, and he would gladly take the time to just stand there and take every angle of her in if she would let him.</p><p>He inwardly cringed at how creepy that sounded.</p><p>"Nope." She muttered, her eyes opening to stare up at the night sky. "I have a hotel reservation at the next town over, but I might as well cancel that. I don't feel like going there anymore anyway."</p><p>"Well… I mean, I'm pretty sure I've seen this problem before…" his cheeks flushed when she gave him a confused stare. "I mean, the car. The problem with the car. I've seen it before. I think."</p><p>"Ah." Melinda smirked, stepping towards the rental car and giving the tire a half-hearted kick. "So you think you can fix it?"</p><p>"I can at least tow it back to my shop and have my team take a look at it."</p><p>"Anything is better than being stuck on the side of the road." She shrugged, her eyes on the still open hood of the car. </p><p>"It hasn't been all bad, has it?" He blurted without thinking, moving towards the car to carefully shut the hood. The sharp clunk of the hood shutting actually startled him, and he blushed heavily when he realized she saw him jump.</p><p>"Well, no…" she said quietly, meeting his gaze and mirroring the grin on his face. "The company might be the only upside."</p><p>"Glad to hear it." he chuckled. "Come on, my shop isn't too far from here but we do have a ways to go. You can tell me about your riveting comic shop trips."</p><p>"Oh you're trouble." She narrowed her eyes at him, still smiling.</p><p>"I'm sure I don't know what you mean." He crossed his eyes at her, his fists on his hips.</p><p>The laughter that followed her eye roll made his entire body tingle in a way he hadn't felt in years.</p><p>---</p><p>This was ridiculous. He had been married before, had a daughter for crying out loud! Why was he literally about to vibrate out of his skin just because he had a woman in his truck?</p><p>Maybe it was because she was hands-down the most beautiful woman he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. That could've had something to do with it.</p><p>Melinda was sitting comfortably in the passenger seat, listening as he told the story of his dad and how they had fixed up this truck together. She laughed softly at the more comical parts, and more than once he saw her look over to study his face out of his peripheral.</p><p>"Sounds like he really knew what he was doing."</p><p>"Oh yeah, practically everyone in our hometown wanted him to fix their cars. There was always a car to fix in our driveway." Phil smiled, turning his truck off the main street to pull into his garage's parking lot. "Like I said, he's the reason I got into cars in the first place."</p><p>"Good thing you did, otherwise I might still be stuck back there." She said, hopping out of the truck when he opened the door for her. "Thanks."</p><p>“No problem.” he shrugged, feeling his heart skip a beat at the smile she gave him.</p><p>When they entered the garage, the lights were already on and his team was chatting over in the back corner. Hunter noticed them first, and Phil could see the mischievous glint in his eye as they walked over.</p><p>"Hey boss, good thing you caught us before we got hammered." He laughed, catching the remote that Phil tossed his way.</p><p>"Yeah, I’m sure.” Phil smiled, turning to introduce his team to Melinda. "This is Leo, Lance, and Bobbi."</p><p>"Call me Hunter." Hunter winked, shaking Melinda's hand. Melinda just raised an eyebrow at him, nodding once to confirm that she understood.</p><p>"Fitz." Fitz smiled politely, shaking her hand. She smiled at his scottish accent, it was always nice to hear something other than American accents all the time.</p><p>"Bobbi Morse. I keep the other two in line." Bobbi laughed, shaking the shorter woman’s hand with enthusiasm. Melinda had to look up slightly to meet her determined eyes, and she was quietly impressed that Bobbi didn’t seem to let her height bother her, especially since she was an inch or so taller than Hunter and Fitz.</p><p>"I can tell." Melinda smirked, watching Fitz and Hunter's offended expressions. So far she didn't mind Phil's crew, they were already better than most people she met who immediately started fishing for facts about her personal life when they met her.</p><p>"Just back my truck in, Hunter." Phil jerked a thumb over his shoulder, handing Hunter the keys. "Her car is attached to the back. I think I know what parts we'll have to replace but I want you guys to have a look anyway to double check."</p><p>"Sounds good, boss." Bobbi nodded when Hunter just grinned at Phil instead of responding, her arms over her chest as she turned to Melinda. "We'll get you outta here and back on the road in no time."</p><p>"Coulson hooked you up to his baby? Diane at the Sleep Inn said the last time she saw him tow a car was when he first moved here." Hunter raised both eyebrows, his eyes boring into Melinda's inquisitively. "You must be pretty bloody special then, he doesn't tow just any car with old Blue out there."</p><p>"Either that or he had no other options." Melinda replied, an amused hum ending her sentence when she saw how red Phil's face was.</p><p>"Yes, exactly that." Phil tried to cover, chuckling awkwardly as he gestured to his office. "You can wait in there if you'd like, Melinda. It won't take too long but you could at least charge your phone while you wait."</p><p>Melinda mulled it over for a second, then followed him to his office with a grateful nod and accepted his offer to sit in his chair.</p><p>"It's more comfortable than the other ones." He explained, watching her sit down and trying not to look too pleased about it. "Be right back." </p><p>"Okay." She smiled, watching him slip out to assist his crew with her car. Once the door clicked shut behind him, she allowed herself to let out a long sigh and practically melt into the chair. </p><p>It had been a long day even before she had gotten into that godforsaken rental car. The mother of one of her younger students had showed up right before they locked up, yelling about how the fact her son had the flu shouldn't have meant he had to stay home from his karate lesson. Melinda had tried to explain as calmly as she could that the illness policy was in place to keep other students from getting sick as well, but the woman was having none of it. Melinda had called in her business partner, Raul, who had also tried to calm the woman and failed. After 45 minutes of needless back and forth, they reached an agreement. Melinda would allow the boy one free lesson to make up for the missed one. His mother seemed fine with that, leaving the dojo in a huff with her nose stuck up in the air.</p><p>It took everything within Melinda not to call her and tell the woman her son was dropped from the dojo. Raul talked her out of it, and had offered to finish the cleaning so she could get an earlier start on her little vacation.</p><p>The car having a panic attack at the edge of town had just heaped more stress and anxiety onto her, and if Phil hadn't come by when he did… well, who knows what she might have done.</p><p>The shelves on the wall caught her eye, and when she spun the chair to give it her attention, she couldn't help but smile.</p><p>Three shelves of comic books, carefully protected in transparent plastic sleeves, all in almost perfect condition lined the wall. On the adjoining wall were another two shelves, this time holding little action figures and plaques from various conventions. Melinda stood to look at them a bit closer, laughing softly at the photo of him posing in a very accurate Captain America costume.</p><p>He was practically radiating pride, surrounded by little kids in their own superhero-themed costumes, flexing his arms while the kids around him did the same.</p><p>She turned to go back to his desk chair, her eyes landing on the only photo resting there. It was from the same convention as the other photo, but this time his helmet was missing. Instead was a little girl with dark brown hair in pigtails and deep brown eyes, dressed as Black Widow, grinning widely from her perch on his shoulders. She looked to be about five or six years old, her little hands waving in the air in unbridled joy.</p><p>She had to admit, it was pretty darn cute, and Melinda could tell that his daughter was everything to him from that photo alone.</p><p>Melinda and Andrew had had no kids before their divorce, but her “Littles” at the dojo spent so much time with her that she thought of most of them as her own. They were rambunctious little things, but had so much excitement and vigor for life that they made even her worst days just a little bit brighter. </p><p>Looking at the photo of Phil and his daughter, so obviously happy together and not worried about anything or anyone but each other, it made her appreciate him as a person even more.</p><p>It also helped that she found it attractive... very attractive.</p><p>---</p><p>Phil left his office with a huff of relief, willing the heat to leave his face before his crew saw how red he was. Something about knowing Melinda was in his office, sitting in his chair, probably staring at all of his superhero memorabilia and realizing how much of a monumental nerd he was...</p><p>"Alright, what do we got here?" Phil said with an awkward clap of his hands, shaking off his nervous energy as he joined Bobbi and Fitz under the hood.</p><p>"Blown gasket and something else we can't pinpoint." Bobbi sighed, wiping the grease from her hands on the towel in her pocket. "Where did she find this thing?"</p><p>"It's a rental." Fitz replied, waving a piece of paper as he slid out of the passenger side of the car. "Found the service record in the glove compartment. Looks like it hasn't seen a repair shop in a few years."</p><p>"Geez. It should be illegal to give this deathtrap to anyone." Phil muttered, peering into the engine and frowning at how cluttered everything was. "Well, how long do we think this is gonna take us?"</p><p>"Longer than a few hours, that's for sure." Bobbi responded as she slid underneath the car, pausing to slide back out and raise an eyebrow at him. "Does she have a place to stay tonight? Because this thing isn't going anywhere anytime soon."</p><p>"I don't think so. She had a reservation in the next town over, but I'm pretty sure she cancelled it after the car conked out on her."</p><p>"She could always stay with you, boss." Hunter winked from the trunk, shutting it with a laugh at how fast Phil's face burned a deep crimson.</p><p>"Shut up, Hunter." Bobbi rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Actually that's not a bad idea." Fitz shrugged, raising his hands in mock surrender at the annoyed glares that Bobbi and Phil shot him. "I'm just saying! The motel here isn't the most comfortable place, and Coulson has an extra bedroom."</p><p>"He also has a daughter. Bringing a stranger into the house might not be the best idea." Bobbi stood and crossed her arms, waving the wrench in her hand for emphasis. "Gotta think about Daisy."</p><p>"Listen, let's just see what we can do for the car now." Phil interrupted. "I'll talk to Melinda and see what she wants to do. If she would rather not stay at the motel… well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."</p><p>---</p><p>Melinda looked up when the door to Phil's office creaked open, her eyebrow raising at how he stepped in and gave her an apologetic smile. She stood, watching him carefully as he spoke. His hands were in his pockets, a weak smile on his lips and his shoulders taut. </p><p>If his posture was anything to go by, He didn’t have good news.</p><p>"So… turns out the car needs a decent amount of work." He started slowly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "You might be with us for a little while. I'm sorry."</p><p>"It’s alright, not your fault." Melinda sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair and staring at the floor.</p><p>“I just wish we could do more for you.” he shrugged. “But the parts we need are out of stock until morning. Hunter volunteered to go out as soon as the store in the city opens, but until then…”</p><p>“No, I understand. These things happen.” Melinda forced a smile, trying to hide her disappointment. “I heard someone mention a motel earlier?”</p><p>Before Phil could reply, her phone rang from its place on the desk. She gave him an apologetic smile and picked it up, relief flooding her when Andrew's voice sounded over the line.</p><p>"Melinda! Oh, thank God you're okay. What happened?"</p><p>"The rental I was driving broke down." Melinda answered, her eyes meeting Phil's a moment later as they shared a knowing smile. "Thankfully someone found me. They’re working on my car now.”</p><p>"Well I'm glad you're okay. Do you need me to come get you? I know it's late. Do you have somewhere to stay?"</p><p>Melinda frowned as she thought, fiddling with the hair tie that had once been holding her hair back. Phil watched her hands, mentally clocking the action as a nervous habit.</p><p>"I'm not sure." Melinda told Andrew, raising her eyes to Phil. “You were saying…?”</p><p>"Oh, the motel isn't that far away." Phil replied after a beat, a little caught off guard that she was now addressing him. "I’m sure they’ll have room for you."</p><p>Melinda relayed the information to Andrew, who asked a few more questions while Melinda repeatedly told him that she was fine. He finally let it go, making her promise to call him if the car couldn't be fixed and ended up needing a ride home. Melinda hung up the phone with a mildly frustrated grunt, sliding it into her pocket. Phil's head was tilted slightly in an unspoken question, and she could only smile and shrug.</p><p>"He worries. A lot."</p><p>"Ah, I see." Phil nodded slowly in understanding. "So-"</p><p>It was at that very moment that Melinda's stomach decided to growl...very loudly. </p><p>"I guess in all the stress I forgot that I haven't had dinner yet." She laughed, a little embarrassed.</p><p>Coulson laughed along with her, pausing for a little bit while he thought. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from inviting her over for dinner, despite the hopeless romantic within him that really wanted him to ask.</p><p>“Well, there is a little all-night diner up the street if you're interested.” he offered. "I can give you a ride."</p><p>"Hm...I might be." Melinda hummed, reaching back to pull her hair back into a ponytail. Phil tried not to watch too closely so he wouldn't come across as creepy. "Is it good?"</p><p>"They have really good coffee there, if that means anything to you.” he shrugged, following her out of his office and back towards her struggling rental. “Daisy really likes the hot chocolate, but that’s because I won’t let her have coffee.”</p><p>“I’m not really a coffee person… Never could stand the taste of it.” Melinda responded with a tired smile, suddenly frowning when she saw how rough the rental actually looked with the hood open and the tires off. She definitely had some very strong words for the rental car salesman; it wasn’t right to do this to people.</p><p>Phil tried not to let her statement bother him too much. She had literally stated that she wasn’t into coffee, not that she wasn’t into him or the town he called home. He forced a smile, his hands on his hips as he nodded towards his team that were working diligently on the car that had brought her into his shop.</p><p>“Oh okay, well I’ll just check in with my team real quick and we'll get you to the motel for the night.”</p><p>She nodded slowly at that, turning on her heel to grab her duffle bag from his office. When she finished and stood in the doorway, Phil was talking animatedly with Hunter and Fitz next to the car, gesturing to its engine. They listened intently, asking questions and pointing out different parts they had discovered issues with. She had to admit, watching him instruct his team with the fluid authority that came from years of experience...</p><p>It was kind of hot.</p><p>Melinda blinked rapidly, her face burning when her own thoughts settled in her mind. Since when did she have such...embarrassing thoughts? Especially about someone she had just met? She almost felt like a teenager again, flustered and confused at the butterflies in her stomach.</p><p>Melinda shook her head to clear it, chalking it all up to being tired and hungry. She set her bag against the wall outside his office and walked up to the car, peering into the engine as if she knew whatever it was she was looking at.</p><p>“How's it looking?” she asked, her eyes still on the car as Hunter, Fitz, and Phil's attention turned to her.</p><p>The latter seemed a little startled that she was there, which made the other two crack knowing smiles. Melinda chose to ignore them and meet Phil's gaze.</p><p>"Hey, so… yeah definitely not a quick job we're looking at."</p><p>Melinda sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. </p><p>"Figures."</p><p>"My offer to drive you to the diner still stands." Phil shrugged, glancing over when Fitz and Hunter made their not-so-smooth exit from the conversation. He almost rolled his eyes. "At least then you won't be without a car and hungry. Is that okay?"</p><p>Melinda's stomach growled again, and they shared yet another laugh.</p><p>"I guess that's a yes then." Phil chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck before turning to Hunter. "Keys?"</p><p>Hunter tossed the keys to his truck to him, and Phil nodded his thanks. He ignored Hunter's little wink that followed.</p><p>---</p><p>The ride in the truck was both extremely awkward while also being not awkward at all. They chatted about various topics, such as different parts of their personal lives that they felt like sharing, but there was an underlying discomfort between them that wasn't too welcome.</p><p>Phil was uncomfortable because of the growing sense of sadness in the pit of his stomach. Parting ways with her for the night sounded absolutely awful, and all he wanted to do was figure out a way to spend more time with her. But he didn't know if she would be open to that. They did just meet a few hours ago. So he just continued to listen to her talk as they went along.</p><p>Melinda bit the inside of her cheek while he told her various stories from his childhood, to keep from hurriedly asking what he would be up to the next day. There was no point in denying it, he had a charm to him that was drawing her in like a magnet. He was funny, he was smart, and he was quick with a sarcastic retort that rivaled her own abilities. She wouldn't be lying if she said she would feel a little more lonely after she got out of his truck.</p><p>When they pulled into the parking lot for the brightly-lit diner, both Phil and Melinda let out simultaneous sighs. Their gazes met, and they laughed at their matching startled expressions. He parked the car, hopped out, and walked around to open her door for her. She thanked him, stretching her arms above her head once her feet were firmly on the gravel below.</p><p>"So…" Phil shuffled his feet, unable to finish his thought because he honestly wasn't sure what he wanted to say in the first place.</p><p>Melinda on the other hand…</p><p>“I’m more of a tea person.” she said suddenly, her eyes not meeting his as she looked at the sign for the diner that read 'PJ's'.</p><p>Phil was silent for a few tense moments, still not catching on when Melinda turned and raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>"Oh um… they might have some." he shrugged. "I mean, I wouldn't know for sure since I don't really drink tea but-"</p><p>“I don't know anyone in this town besides you." She interrupted, her fingers twitching at her side in a display of nervousness that made Phil's heart pound. Why was she nervous? "And...as much as I appreciate the ride here, I'll need a ride back."</p><p>"Uh...right." Coulson blinked, his heart doing literal laps of his chest as his brain tried to decipher what she meant. "I mean, I can come back and get you if…"</p><p>It finally dawned on him, and he felt like an idiot for not catching on sooner.</p><p>"Ohhhhhhhhh…" he chuckled, blushing even harder than he had been a few minutes ago. "You want me to…"</p><p> "Yeah," Melinda's laughter was tinged with relief, her cheeks significantly more red than he had seen them all night. "You might as well join me. To save gas, of course. Plus, you do have to eat."</p><p>"Of course." He agreed, letting out a soft sigh of relief when she smiled and started walking towards the door. "To save gas."</p><p>He pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to Bobbi and asking if she could run by and check on Daisy for him. She sent back "of course" with a winky face emoji, and he rolled his eyes. He switched over to the text conversation he had with Daisy, asking if she would be alright with Bobbi coming by.</p><p>"Hey kiddo, I'm a little occupied right now. You okay with Bobbi bringing you dinner?"</p><p>Her response came in while they were waiting to be seated.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm good. What's going on, someone's car explode?"</p><p>Phil smirked at the three laughing emojis she sent along with her message.</p><p>"No, just a no-good rental that needs fixing. I'll be home in about an hour or so. Don't stay up too late."</p><p>"Okay dad. Make sure u eat too. Love u"</p><p>"Love u too"</p><p>He slid his phone into his pocket, jumping a little when he looked up across the table to find Melinda watching him carefully.</p><p>"What?" He asked with an awkward laugh.</p><p>"That was your daughter, wasn't it?" She asked, a knowing smile on her lips.</p><p>"Yeah," he chuckled fondly. "How'd you know?"</p><p>"Your eyes soften whenever you talk about her." Melinda shrugged, opening the menu as if they were simply talking about the weather. "You had that look on your face so I figured you were texting her."</p><p>"What look?" He tilted his head slightly, gently toying with the edge of his own menu.</p><p>"...like she's your world." Melinda said after a moment, looking up from the menu to give him a tender smile. </p><p>Phil bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blurting out how he wanted her to be part of his world as well.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Stockholm Syndrome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Melinda realizes she might not want to leave when the weekend is over.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I KNOOOOOW OKAY</p><p>This took me so long to get finished OMG.</p><p>But here it is.</p><p>If it seems disjointed or weird at any point, just know there's a moment in there where I just was jotting ideas down and then pasted them into my document. Then I tried adjusting them so they would actually be part of the fic but tbh I'm so sleepy rn I have no idea how it turned out okay thanks love u bye</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Phil pulled up to the house, humming along to the radio a little more happily than usual. He shut off his truck's engine with a content sigh, flipping down the visor to make sure his face wasn't still embarrassingly red.</p><p>He wasn't sure if it was just his own infatuation that had him reading too much into things or what, but he found it hard to believe that Melinda sat in PJ's with him an hour after they were done eating just to be polite. He also found it hard to believe that the walk they went on afterwards where all they did was laugh and tease each other was a friendly gesture. If it had been up to him, he would still be with her, even though it was almost midnight. He was almost sure she felt the same, especially since she had tried to hide her yawns. But Phil, being the concerned gentleman he was, could only pretend he didn't notice for so long. They were in his truck, headed for the motel, when she fell asleep. When he noticed, his heart had melted to the point where he almost wasn't able to keep quiet about it.</p><p>He wondered how she would react if he told her how heart-wrenchingly adorable she was when she was asleep. He had been so enamoured with glancing at her while she slept, that he hit a rough section of the road with a speed he wasn't used to. He slowed down immediately after hitting it, and while he was carefully traversing the bumps, he heard what could only be described as the sound of a kitten stretching. He had looked over, and found Melinda shifting onto her other side before settling again.</p><p>He felt bad waking her up once they reached the motel, and forced himself not to watch too closely as she slowly started to come to. She had apologized for falling asleep, and he told her it was fine. He understood how exhausted she was, and offered to help carry her things in so she could check in quicker. She told him she appreciated everything he had already done for her, and playfully commanded him to get home to his daughter.</p><p>He couldn't stop his words from spilling out when he asked if he could pick her up in the morning... to check on her car, of course. </p><p>"Only if you join me for breakfast first."</p><p>He had to seriously fight the urge to tell her how nothing would bring him more joy.</p><p>"And where have you been?"</p><p>The lights in the front hallway flicked on as soon as the door clicked shut behind him. Phil rolled his eyes when they adjusted to the light, letting the hammering of his heart fade as he tossed his bag on the floor. He toed off his shoes, raising an eyebrow at the annoyed teenager standing by the lightswitch.</p><p>"Last time I checked, I was the parent."</p><p>"Dad, it's almost midnight." Daisy frowned, her hands on her hips. "You said you'd be home a while ago."</p><p>“I told you, I was busy.” Phil handed her his bag of takeout from the diner, watching her sniff it suspiciously. She raised an eyebrow at him, shaking the bag slightly in emphasis. “What? You told me to make sure I ate. So there. Proof that I ate.”</p><p>Daisy followed him into the kitchen, sliding the bag into the fridge while he chugged a glass of water.</p><p>“Didn’t I tell you not to stay up too late?” Phil asked, gesturing in the general direction of her bedroom on the upper floor as he left the kitchen. “You do have soccer practice in the morning.” </p><p>“Hey, I was worried about you, okay? You usually don’t stay out super late, plus you stopped responding to my texts.”</p><p>“What texts?” Phil blinked, pulling out his phone to verify these supposedly unseen texts. He scrolled through his messages, running a hand over the back of his neck as fifteen notifications popped up all of a sudden. “Oh. Those texts.”</p><p>Daisy crossed her arms over her chest, her little brow furrowed in what looked like annoyance.</p><p>“Mmhm.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Phil shrugged, grabbing his bag from the floor to carry up to his bedroom. Daisy followed him up the stairs, with a bag of chips in hand, obviously waiting for an explanation. “Sorry, peanut, I think we wandered into the dead zone by accident.”</p><p>“The dead zone?” Daisy jumped onto his bed, staring at him in confused bewilderment. “The garage is nowhere near the dead zone. Why were you guys out there?”</p><p>Why did he have to have such a smart daughter? Why couldn’t she just be too tired to care about whatever he had been out doing? It wasn’t that he was afraid she wouldn’t like Melinda, they would probably get along really well. He was more concerned that Daisy wouldn’t be happy that he was attracted to another woman already, even though Daisy told him several times that she was fine with him dating if he wanted to.</p><p>Something told him she didn’t really mean that, but he would never ask her about it.</p><p>“Uh…” he laughed awkwardly, bringing his pajamas into the master bathroom that branched off of his bedroom. “Would you believe me if I said we were too tired after dinner to realize where we were?”</p><p>“Nope.” Was Daisy’s giggly reply. “You wouldn’t drive Blue home if you were that out of it."</p><p>Phil was eventually able to steer the conversation towards her day at school, and he was beyond happy to hear how excited she was about their upcoming tests. She asked again if he and his crew would be at her first soccer game of the season, if they could go get burgers afterwards, if he thought her coach was as excited as she was…</p><p>He listened to her ramble about the soccer team for a little while longer, and wasn’t surprised to find her conked out on his bed when he left the bathroom. He chuckled softly, scooping his little girl up in his arms and carrying her to her own bedroom. He laid her down on her pastel purple sheets, grabbing the comforter and tucking her in with a gentle kiss on her head. </p><p>“Night Dad.” She said with a soft sleepy sigh, curling into the covers with a yawn.</p><p>“Goodnight, Angel Eyes.”</p><p>It still baffled him how quickly Daisy had grown up. Sometimes he would look at her and not understand how she wasn’t still the little giggling toddler that he would carry around on his shoulders. Now she was in eighth grade, begging to have her ears pierced, and wondering what boys thought of her. She wasn’t a difficult kid at all, but Phil did wish there was someone around that she could relate to. He especially didn’t want to talk about boys or her ‘developing body’. He was absolutely not prepared for that.</p><p>Was it weird that he sort of, kind of, a little bit wished that Melinda would be that someone?</p><p>Phil sighed as he walked back into his bedroom and snatched up the sleeping pills from his nightstand. He swallowed them dry, grunting in mild disgust. He turned off the lamp, climbed into his king-sized bed and crawled under the covers, prepared to lie there in the dark until sleep claimed him. After going over what he needed to get done the next day in his head, his thoughts inevitably turned to Audrey, like they always did. He shifted onto his side, smiling dazedly into the darkness where he could almost see her lying next to him. He could picture her smiling, blinking slowly at him while watching him struggle to stay awake.</p><p>“You’re so tired, Phil… Why don’t you just go to sleep?”</p><p>He could practically feel her fingers as they ghosted over his brow, gently coaxing him to just drift off. He closed his eyes for a moment, the effects of the pills making him feel infinitely more disconnected from reality.</p><p>“I know you won’t be here when I wake up.” he half-whispered, fighting the burn of tears in his eyes. “I miss you.”</p><p>“Of course you’d say that.” Audrey laughed softly, smiling sadly at him, her fingers leaving his face. “I miss you too. But you don’t need me...not anymore.”</p><p>He couldn’t bring himself to negate that. Although he did miss her, he wasn’t suffering too much without her. He would have preferred she be with them, going to Daisy’s upcoming events and going out for drinks with his team… but life hadn’t turned out that way. She was gone, in a much better place now. She wasn't feeling any hurt, wasn't struggling to face each day or worrying about what the future held. She was at peace.</p><p>"Daisy needs you." He sighed, letting the truth flow out naturally. "I can't... be you for her."</p><p>"She doesn't expect you to be me. She expects you to be you. You're Daddy, and that's all she wants you to be."</p><p>"She needs a mom, Audrey."</p><p>"Daisy is fine, Phil. I think you're just lonely." Audrey smirked, grinning when his cheeks tinted pink. She sighed softly when he wouldn't meet her eyes, guilt hitting him like a wave. "It's okay that you like her."</p><p>"I know." He yawned, his blinks getting slower. "I just don't want to get my hopes up."</p><p>"I think you could use a little more hope." Audrey's voice was much softer now. His eyes drifted shut, unwilling to watch her fade. "Don't fight your heart, Phil, but don't rush it. The steps you take don't have to be big…"</p><p>"...they just need to take you in the right direction." He mumbled, opening his eyes slowly to find Audrey gone, and in her place was his phone on the bed, lighting up with an incoming text.</p><p>He had enough consciousness left to grab it and see who it was from, a dopey grin on his face as he read the name.</p><p>"Thank you again for tonight. I haven't had that much fun in a while."</p><p>"It was my pleasure. How's the motel?"</p><p>"Not bad. It'll do."</p><p>"Glad to hear it." He hesitated, deciding to just go for it. If this was going to go anywhere, she would eventually end up discovering every aspect of his life. He might as well get it going now. "Is it okay if Daisy comes to coffee with us?"</p><p>He tapped the 'send' button before he could second guess it, and laid his phone face down on his chest while his heart pounded so hard he thought he might puke. </p><p>It felt like an eternity passed before his phone vibrated again, and the relief that flooded him at the message's content was enough to lull him into an amazing sense of calm.</p><p>"Of course, she can tell me how much of a dorky dad you are. See you both then. :)"</p><p>He fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in years.</p><p>---</p><p>Melinda guessed she was doomed to having bad luck.</p><p>The motel wasn’t awful, but the bed definitely was. She had tossed and turned all night long, and woke up in such a daze that she was almost desperate for that tea. She took an almost uncomfortably cold shower, got dressed in a baby blue tee and dark jeans, fully aware that her shirt would match a certain someone's truck. She waved to the extremely friendly woman at the front desk, sighing heavily once she was outside. There were a significant amount of people out and about now, which was actually more comfortable than Melinda imagined it would be. It was nothing like the city, not crowded in any way, but there were definitely enough people that the town didn't feel lonely or deserted.</p><p>Melinda only had to walk down the street for a few minutes before she found the coffee shop. There were plenty of open tables and little couches, and after a second or two of thinking, she set her things down at the one with three chairs by the window.</p><p>Was she nervous about meeting Phil's daughter? Actually, yes, a little. It had been years since she'd met the child of someone she was interested in. While she worked with kids every day in her dojo, she was their teacher. It didn't matter if they liked her a lot, although most of them did. </p><p>With the child of someone she was admittedly attracted to, she had a right to be a little on edge. Kids were very straightforward and honest. If they didn't like someone, that person would know. And since Daisy was undoubtedly the most important person in Phil's life, if she didn't like Melinda… their friendship or whatever this was would be over before it really even began.</p><p>---</p><p>"So she's the one with the trash rental from last night?" Daisy asked, bouncing her soccer ball on the sidewalk as they walked to the coffee shop. She wore her soccer uniform, the blue shirt and shorts with white accents reminding Phil of the blue and white onesie he used to put her in. It wasn’t too chilly out, but mornings here usually featured a breeze or two, so he had insisted she put on the light jacket that she was refusing to zip up.</p><p>"Yep, that’s who she is." Phil said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at her when she grinned up at him.</p><p>"Hmmmmm…" she smirked, tossing the ball up in the air and catching it.</p><p>"What's that hmm about?" Phil snorted, snatching the ball when she tossed it up again.</p><p>"We usually don't have breakfast at Rosalind’s with your other customers." Daisy shrugged, jumping up to try and snatch the ball from him. He grinned, moving it out of her reach.</p><p>“She doesn’t know anyone and she’s stuck here. I’m just being nice.” he bopped her gently on the head with the soccer ball, allowing her to grab it with a triumphant grin. “Imagine if you got stuck like that. You’d want someone to have breakfast with too.”</p><p>“Yeah but you don’t let me have coffee.” Daisy stuck her tongue out at him, going back to bouncing the ball on the sidewalk. “Breakfast means coffee.”</p><p>“You know what I mean.” Phil rolled his eyes, opening the door to let Daisy walk into the coffee shop before him.</p><p>“Hey, there are my two favorite customers.” Rosalind Price smirked from behind the counter. Daisy skipped up to her, grinning widely when she handed her a piping hot cup of hot cocoa. “Fresh cup of kid energy for you.”</p><p>“Thanks, Rosalind!” Daisy smiled, taking a sip and letting out a long sigh. “Mmmmmm… you make the best hot cocoa ever.”</p><p>“Glad you think so.” Rosalind laughed softly, turning her attention to Phil with a seductive smile. “Your usual...?”</p><p>Phil cleared his throat, silently wondering how a woman could still think he was interested when all he had done was order coffee for the past three years.</p><p>“If my usual is a coffee and a cream cheese pastry, then yeah.” He laughed awkwardly, turning to scan the shop. His eyes had only made it halfway through the room when Rosalind tapped his arm.</p><p>“Here you go, just the way you like it.” she handed the disposable cup to him, her hand lingering on his for just a few seconds too long. “You looking for someone?”</p><p>“Oh, uh...Thanks.” he smiled politely, holding the cup up to his lips and blowing over the top to cool it a little. “Sort of, actually. Anybody new come in this morning?”</p><p>Rosalind frowned for a moment in thought, crossing her arms over her chest and shrugging. </p><p>“Not anyone of note. A few people just passing through. Well, actually…” she paused. “Someone ordered a cup of green tea, which was a little weird."</p><p>“Tea?” Coulson’s eyes widened without him even realizing it, his eyebrows shooting up in interest.</p><p>“Yeah, strange right? Rosalind continued, oblivious to his excitement. “I mean, I just so happened to have a box of tea that Daryl ordered by accident that I hid in the back room, so thankfully I got a sale out of it…”</p><p>Phil was sure she was still talking, but his attention was no longer on Rosalind’s attempt at flirting with him. The reflection of someone’s passing car had caught his eye, and when the light stopped scorching his corneas and refocused, his eyes landed on the one person he had been looking for.</p><p>Melinda was quietly sipping her tea, a book open on the table in front of her. The sunlight streaming in from the window she was seated beside gave her an almost angelic glow. She had chosen to leave her hair down, Phil’s eyes glued to the way she gathered the dark strands and tucked them behind her ear. Phil wasn’t sure if he was the only one who could hear it, but he could almost swear there were angels somewhere singing rather loudly. In fact, he was so enamoured that he didn’t notice how his grip on the cup in his hand was growing less and less secure.</p><p>So he was understandably more than a little lost when his coffee cup fell out of his hand and splattered onto the floor.</p><p>“Whoa, Dad!” Daisy jumped away from the spray, her eyes wide in shock and confusion. </p><p>Phil finally came back to his senses right at that moment, immediately reaching for the napkins on the counter while apologizing profusely. Rosalind leaned over the counter, her mouth open in shock and confusion.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>“Wowwwwww...what even was that?” Phil chuckled uncomfortably, taking the clump of napkins and kneeling to try and clean up the mess. His face was a deep scarlet, like if a tomato had a sunburn. Daisy ended up down on the floor beside him, laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. She had napkins in her hands as well, but she was too busy giggling to actually help him.</p><p>"Wh-whaaaaat just h-happened?!?"</p><p>“Thanks for the help Daisy.” he rolled his eyes, snatching the clean napkins off the counter after tossing the soaked ones in the small trash can Rosalind had handed him. “Less laughing, more cleaning.”</p><p>Daisy eventually stopped giggling and bounced back up to grab more napkins, grinning widely at the woman watching from about a foot away with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.</p><p>“I think your dad is a little bit of a klutz.”</p><p>“More than a little bit.” Daisy snorted, rolling her eyes. She stuck out a hand for the woman to shake. “I’m Daisy. What’s your name?”</p><p>“Melinda.” Melinda smiled, shaking the girl’s hand while watching Phil slowly get to his feet.</p><p>Phil swore that his blood froze in his veins at the sound of Melinda’s voice. Of course she would notice them now, when he was struggling to clean up the coffee he spilled while practically ogling her. He swallowed hard, wiping the remaining coffee on his hands onto the last remaining napkins.</p><p>“Uh…” he chuckled awkwardly, his face now a lovely dark cherry red. “Hey, Melinda.”</p><p>"Good morning, Phil." Melinda smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. "How's my car?"</p><p>"You're the lady with the trash rental!" Daisy interrupted with an over dramatic gasp, her eyes wide. "The one that broke down last night! I knew the name Melinda sounded familiar.</p><p>"You told your daughter about me?" Melinda tilted her head at Phil, a pleased smirk on her face at how his face got impossibly more red. "Guess we got along better than I thought."</p><p>"I'd say." Daisy grinned, elbowing her dad before mirror Melinda's expression.</p><p>Phil, feeling thoroughly outnumbered, could only roll his eyes. Daisy led Melinda to the table Melinda’s things were at, talking animatedly about all the times Phil had made a fool of himself.</p><p>---</p><p>"And then Coach Thompson said that if we do really good at our game tomorrow, he's gonna take us out for ice cream instead of having practice on Monday!"</p><p>The three of them were seated at the table Melinda had originally been at, Phil and Melinda across from each other with Daisy between them. Their half-empty packages of danishes and empty cups sat on the table, occasionally shifting when Daisy excitedly smacked her palms onto the surface.</p><p>"Wow, that sounds great." Melinda smiled at Daisy's obvious excitement. The girl was bright, but Phil had already told her that. Daisy was also funny, quick-witted, and extremely observant. She had called out she and Phil's shy glances at each other more than once, until Phil gently but firmly told her to stop. Daisy had simply shrugged it off and shoved half of his cheese danish into her mouth.</p><p>When Phil gave her a shocked and exasperated stare, she just grinned and told him she "needed fuel" for soccer practice. Melinda had to admit, the girl was sharp. She liked her a lot, probably because she reminded her a lot of herself.</p><p>"Yeah, Daisy's so confident they'll win that she already has a lineup of ice cream flavors she wants to try."</p><p>"Mom never let me have a ton of ice cream. She claimed it would mess up my teeth." Daisy said through a mouthful of her own pastry. "But now I'm older so Dad says whatever happens to my teeth is on me."</p><p>Melinda raised an eyebrow at Phil, who blushed and shrugged.</p><p>"If she wants dentures by the time she's 18, who am I to stop her?" He chuckled, reaching over to wipe some leftover hot cocoa from his daughter's chin.</p><p>Melinda just shook her head in amusement, silently admiring the way Daisy spoke of her mother. Phil had told her, rather vaguely, that Daisy's mom had died when she was younger. They had both mourned her profusely, but it had been so awful that they moved to this small town to get away from the memories. Melinda had almost expected Daisy to be quiet and reserved when talking about Audrey, but she wasn't. She had mentioned her several times, had talked about what her favorite sports were and how often Phil would try to teach her to bake even though she didn't want to…</p><p>Daisy wasn't a damaged little girl. She was just a girl who had lost her mother, and was continuing her life with all the things her mom had taught her before she died.</p><p>Melinda's phone rang while Daisy and Phil were arguing over which Ninja Turtle would win in a 1v1 soccer game. Phil was adamant that Michaelangelo would dominate. Daisy claimed Leonardo was smart enough to get around him with ease.</p><p>Melinda listened to their bickering for a few seconds before pulling her vibrating phone out.</p><p>Phil continued playfully arguing with Daisy, booping her nose and tugging her ears to make her giggle when he didn't have a rebuttal to her points. He glanced over at Melinda, whose gentle smile had dropped into an annoyed frown as the call continued. He ended up frowning as well, which concerned Daisy and had them both watching Melinda carefully.</p><p>"Great…" Melinda sighed heavily, sliding her phone back into her pocket.</p><p>"Everything alright?" He asked gently, turning his body more towards her to give her his full attention. Daisy noticed, mentally memorizing the way his eyes softened and his brow furrowed in concern. </p><p>Her dad really liked this Melinda May. Which was good, because… Daisy liked her too. She was a good listener, and made jokes that had made Daisy snort a few times.</p><p>"Yeah, I… that was the motel." Melinda toyed with the edge of her cup. "The plumbing in my room went haywire and they have to shut down to fix it. Which means…"</p><p>"Where are you gonna sleep?" Daisy interrupted, setting the remains of her pastry on its wrapper.</p><p>"I have no idea." Melinda laughed softly, tying her hair into a ponytail, much to Phil's disappointment. He was sure she looked great with any hairstyle, but he had taken a particular liking to seeing it down. "I might have to just call Andrew and come get the car a different time."</p><p>Daisy noticed how disappointed both Melinda and her dad seemed to be at the idea of her leaving. They were all quiet for a few minutes, the two adults avoiding eye contact like nervous 1st graders. Daisy full on rolled her eyes, deciding to take matters into her own hands.</p><p>"Hey dad, don't we have that extra bedroom at the house?" She asked loudly, elbowing him repeatedly. "The one that literally nobody uses and would be perfect for a certain someone to spend the weekend in?"</p><p>Phil's face went deep red again, mainly because his daughter was trying to set him up and also because he and Melinda's gazes met right at that moment.</p><p>"U-Uhhhhh…" Phil's brain was basically mush at that point, just the idea of waking up to find Melinda having breakfast with his daughter or watching her disappear into the guest bedroom, or even laying in his own bed knowing that she was only a few feet down the hall… it conjured up some emotions that he really wasn't equipped to deal with at that moment.</p><p>"Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't wanna intrude." Melinda said with a small smile, glancing out of the window. Truth was, she didn't want to call Andrew. She didn't want to say goodbye to Phil and Daisy just to return to life in the city. She enjoyed her life there, it was comfortable and she at least had Maria for a friend… but… </p><p>"We'd be happy to have you stay with us!" Daisy grinned. "It gets boring when it's just me and Dad. Right Dad?"</p><p>"Uh…"</p><p>“He agrees with me.” Daisy rolled her eyes again, starting to get a little bit of a headache from doing so. Her dad was hopeless. </p><p>"I'll think about it, okay?" Melinda laughed as Daisy just shrugged in acceptance.</p><p>"Alright. But Dad makes the best dinners ever, so if you stay you'll get to try some." She snatched up Phil's phone, turning the screen on to see the time. "Hey, we gotta go anyway! I'll be late for practice!" </p><p>Daisy hopped up from the chair, gathering up their trash while Phil shook himself back to reality.</p><p>"C'mon Melinda!" Daisy grinned. "No better way to get to know the town than to come see me dominate all the other kids!”</p><p>Melinda had a feeling Daisy wouldn't be taking no for an answer, even with Phil staring blankly after her like he had fallen asleep with his eyes open. Daisy bolted out onto the sidewalk, shifting from foot to foot while she waited for them.</p><p>“C’mon, Phil.” she smirked, tugging the sleeve of his shirt. “Daisy’s waiting and I don’t think she’s gonna be patient for long.”</p><p>He blinked a few times, giving her an apologetic smile while grabbing the jacket Daisy had left behind.<br/>---</p><p>Melinda wondered if Andrew would classify this as a sort of Stockholm Syndrome. Her situation shared some similarities to that, and honestly she wasn't sure how else she would describe it.</p><p>She had ended up in an unfavorable situation, with someone she didn't know. But rather than do everything it took to get away and continue on her journey, she was perfectly content to sit on the bleachers and watch her "captor's" daughter play soccer like her life depended on it.</p><p>It was only practice but Daisy was giving it all she had. The field wasn't very large, but it was definitely enough for the kids to break a sweat going back and forth. Daisy bobbed and weaved at breakneck speed, the ball a blur between her feet. Nearly every kick made it into the goal, and Melinda felt a warmth blossom in her chest when the latest score resulted in Daisy beaming at her specifically. She gave her a thumbs up, laughing softly when she grinned wider before bolting back into the action.</p><p>Melinda glanced over at Phil seated beside her, feeling her face warm when she noticed him already looking at her with what could only be described as a lovestruck smile on his face. She wasn’t surprised when he looked away, blushing especially hard when she nudged him playfully with her shoulder. He chuckled softly, nudging her back before returning his attention to his daughter.</p><p>---</p><p>“Did you see me, Dad?” Daisy grinned, running up to Melinda and Phil. “I made so many goals!”</p><p>“You did awesome!” Phil laughed, picking her up and tickling her side. Melinda tried her best not to find it attractive how easily he picked up his teenage daughter, almost as if she were a toddler again. Daisy giggled and squirmed, bouncing on her heels excitedly when he set her back on the ground. He tousled her hair, which she had taken out of her ponytail holder immediately after practice had ended.</p><p>“Daaaaaad, stop!” she laughed, smacking his hands away before turning to Melinda. “Did you see?”</p><p>On the outside, Melinda seemed fully invested in the conversation she was having with Daisy about how good she had done while they sat on the bleachers. But on the inside, she was experiencing what could only be described as falling hopelessly and irrevocably in love with one Mr. Philip J. Coulson.</p><p>Maybe she should’ve been wary of how suddenly she had developed feelings (it had only been a day or so), or of how right it felt to be here… But she couldn’t bring herself to consider any of that, especially since Phil was far too attractive at the moment for her to care about anything but the scene in front of her. </p><p>Daisy sat next to Melinda, rattling off the different techniques and tactics she had learned from her coaches, while Phil sat on the row behind them, his hands moving fluidly as he gently pulled his daughter’s hair into a tidy ponytail. He was taking his time, listening and chuckling along whenever Daisy cracked a joke about the team they were going to face the next day. Melinda was mesmerized by the softness in his eyes, her stomach tightening when he finished the ponytail and met her gaze. Embarrassed, she looked away and turned her attention to Daisy, who had gotten up and was bolting back towards the field as fast as she could.</p><p>“Be back in a second!” she yelled over her shoulder, being swarmed by her excited teammates.</p><p>Melinda laughed softly at how happy they all were, forcing herself not to acknowledge the feeling of longing she felt in her chest. Longing for a little one of her own to watch play sports, to watch make friends and see their personality develop…</p><p>“Guys, we’re going out for pizza!” Daisy shouted from the bottom of the bleachers.</p><p>“Oh… um.” Phil turned to Melinda once they left the bleachers, his brow furrowed. “We really should go to the shop and check on your car… I trust my team, but with Hunter around who knows what might happen.”</p><p>Melinda opened her mouth to suggest they just go afterwards, but a man walked up before she could.</p><p>“I can take Daisy with the other kids if you have somewhere to be, Phil.” he said with a smile, chuckling when Daisy gasped with excitement.</p><p>“Can I, Dad? Can I please?” she whined, grabbing the front of his shirt and bouncing up and down.</p><p>“Alright, alright fine.” Phil laughed, grabbing her wrists and planting a kiss on her forehead. “Stay outta trouble, peanut.”</p><p>“I will, I promise! Thank you!” Daisy nodded, giving Phil a tight hug that he happily returned. “See you later, Dad! Bye, Melinda!”</p><p>Melinda waved goodbye, smiling tenderly at the way Daisy’s teammates squealed with joy when they saw her coming.</p><p>“So you’re Melinda?” the man said with a slight smirk, putting his hand out for her to shake. “I overheard Daisy telling her friends about you. Jeffrey Mace, assistant coach.”</p><p>“Ah, nice to meet you.” Melinda nodded in understanding and shook Mace’s hand.</p><p>“Thanks again for taking Daisy, Jeffrey. I would come along but...Melinda’s car really needs some attention.”</p><p>“Well then you went to the right man.” Jeffrey grinned, playfully punching Phil’s shoulder. “This man could turn a junker into a sports car if given enough time.”</p><p>Phil rolled his eyes, laughing at the ridiculousness of that statement.</p><p>“Yeah, well I just need him to get it going again.” Melinda smirked, elbowing Phil gently.</p><p>“He can definitely do that. The man is good with his hands.” Mace smirked, then snorted at how fast Phil’s face turned a deep scarlet in response. Melinda laughed when the implications of that statement hit her, her own cheeks tinting pink as Mace tried to defend himself. “I didn’t mean it like that!”</p><p>---</p><p>“Heyyyyyy! Look who finally decided to bloody show up! It’s the boss man!” Hunter shouted, waving his wrench in the air when Phil and Melinda entered the garage. "And welcome back Melinda!"</p><p>Phil rolled his eyes, glancing over to Melinda who seemed amused at Hunter's antics. Bobbi and Jemma came over and greeted her, whisking her off before Phil could even say anything.</p><p>"I guess it's time for just the ladies, huh?" He snorted, laughing as he hung up his keys and went to join Hunter and Fitz under the hood of the car.</p><p>"They've been trying to figure out what to tell her about all morning." Fitz shrugged, sliding out from underneath the car. He grabbed onto the bumper and stood. "Something about trying to figure out how to get her to visit more often."</p><p>Hunter wasted no time, because as soon as Phil started working on her engine, he blurted:</p><p>"So, boss, is she married?"</p><p>"Hunter!" Fitz exclaimed, elbowing him hard as he moved past. "You don't just ask someone that."</p><p>"What? It's a perfectly legitimate question." Hunter shrugged. "If the government knows, we should know."</p><p>"That's not a valid point." Fitz rolled his eyes. "And her relationship status is none of our business."</p><p>Phil sighed, setting down his wrench. He knew Hunter well. If he didn't get an answer from Phil, he would go right to Melinda and drill her for one. He didn't want to put her through that.</p><p>"It's okay Fitz." He rolled his eyes, turning to Hunter. "She's divorced."</p><p>"Oh, good! Free real estate then!" Hunter grinned, nudging Phil as he swiped the bottle of coolant from the spot by Phil's foot.</p><p>"And you wonder why you're still single." Fitz sighed heavily, rolling back underneath the car.</p><p>"I'm only single because Bobbi won't date me."</p><p>"And she won't date you because you compare women to real estate." Phil laughed, Fitz joining in when they saw Hunter's offended expression.</p><p>---</p><p>Jemma and Bobbi reappeared with Melinda almost two hours later. The guys peeked out from the car to see them chatting it up, Melinda's cheeks a pleasant shade of red as she rolled her eyes in response to something the other two women had said.</p><p>"I'm assuming you three had a good time?" Phil smiled, coming around the car to greet them, wiping the grease from his hands onto an already grease-soaked rag.</p><p>"We did indeed, boss." Bobbi smirked, a knowing glint in her eye that made him almost irrationally nervous. "How's it going with the car?"</p><p>"Could be better." Fitz grunted, closing the door to the backseat and walking over to give Jemma a peck on the cheek. "This thing needs a miracle."</p><p>"Well then it's a good thing Coulson here is a miracle worker." Jemma grinned, tossing Phil a clean rag to wipe the grease from his face. She realized how her statement might be misconstrued, turning to Melinda with an apologetic smile. "Not that we want you gone or anything."</p><p>"I understood what you meant." Melinda smiled kindly.</p><p>There was more small talk, then the guys tried to explain exactly what they had done while the girls just listened with unimpressed expressions on their faces. Hunter and Fitz went back to work, Bobbi taking Phil's place under the hood while Jemma basically supervised.</p><p>"So...that bedroom offer still on the table?" Melinda asked hesitantly once the team was out of earshot.</p><p>"It might be." Phil chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you accepting?"</p><p>"Maybe. Was thinking about it and… I don't see a point in bothering Andrew tonight. And if I recall correctly..." Melinda tapped her chin playfully, before shrugging and smirking. "Daisy mentioned you were a half decent cook."</p><p>"Oh you have no idea." Phil smirked, his deep blue eyes sending chills down her spine. "I'm gonna blow you away."</p><p>---</p><p>Daisy had been right, Phil was a master in the kitchen, and he had definitely blown her away. They had savory chicken alfredo, perfectly steamed veggies, and the most amazing strawberry cream pie she had ever tasted in her entire life for dessert. How this man was still single when he could cook like this, she would never know. </p><p>They had laughed and teased their way through the meal, with Daisy making sure she told Melinda alllll about her dad's blunders over the years. Melinda was sure his face would be permanently red as a result.</p><p>By the time the food was all gone, Daisy was practically asleep at the table. Melinda had excused herself after dinner to call Andrew and make sure he knew she was okay, so Phil had gone ahead and tucked his daughter in. He wandered the house for a little while, but eventually his curiosity got the better of him.</p><p>"Penny for your thoughts?" Phil said, stepping out onto the porch with his hands in his pockets and a blanket draped over his arm. "I don't actually have any pennies but… I've been told I'm a good listener."</p><p>Melinda rolled her eyes, patting the spot on the porch swing next to her with a smile.</p><p>He chuckled, clearing his throat as he sat next to her. They were quiet for a little while, listening to the crickets in the yard. Suddenly he remembered the blanket.</p><p>"Oh, this is for you." He smiled sheepishly, handing the dark blue blanket to her. "It can get...kinda chilly out here. Plus, porch swing plus a warm blanket? Perfect combination."</p><p>"Thank you." Melinda said with a soft laugh, her cheeks feeling warmer as he leaned over to help her drape it over her shoulders. She tugged it around herself, sighing contentedly. </p><p>"You're welcome." He grinned, more than a little pleased to see her snuggled up in his blanket. "How's um...Andrew?"</p><p>"He's fine." She shrugged. "Worried as usual. He'll live."</p><p>"Good to know." He chuckled.</p><p>"So...where’d Daisy learn to play soccer?” Melinda asked, pulling her legs up and crossing them. The swing swayed with the movement. “She’s extremely talented, so I’m assuming she was on a team at her other school.”</p><p>“Actually, no.” At Melinda’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Daisy was… a little shy at her other school. Audrey’s mom was actually the one who gave her a soccer ball.”</p><p>Melinda tilted her head, encouraging him to continue. He seriously had to focus on what he wanted to say, so he didn’t blurt out how beautiful she was with the moonlight glinting off of her hair like that.</p><p>“Um...yeah it was actually an accident.” he leaned forward onto his knees, toying with the cuff of his sweater. “Audrey’s mom thought we were adopting a baby boy, so she sent us a soccer ball for him. She lives in Toronto. Audrey left it in the nursery anyway, and Daisy used to scream until she let her smack it with her chubby little hands.”</p><p>“I could see her doing that.” Melinda smiled, looking out to the yard to see fireflies appearing and disappearing over the grass.</p><p>“Yeah, she was a feisty kid. She attacked it as soon as she started walking.” Phil chuckled. “I used to hear a bunch of clattering in the livingroom and it would just be Daisy struggling to kick the soccer ball, and getting angry because she wasn’t balanced enough to do it yet.”</p><p>“That didn’t stop her though.” Melinda said softly, her heart skipping a beat when he looked at her and searched her face for a few moments. He really did have the most beautiful blue eyes. “She seems pretty determined.”</p><p>“Yeah. Definitely.” he smiled then averted his gaze, his face falling. “I worry about her sometimes though. I know she misses her mom, and we don’t really talk about what happened. There’s some things she can’t come to me about and...I feel bad that she can’t.”</p><p>“You think she needs a mom.” Melinda said softly, scooting a little closer when she saw how his shoulders slumped.</p><p>“Yeah.” Was his soft response, his eyes back on her face. "I mean...she does, right? She needs someone to talk about girl stuff with. I can't do that for her."</p><p>"I think…" Melinda sighed, giving him a comforting smile. "I think you worry about her a lot more than you should. Daisy's amazing and happy and… she's very fortunate to have her friends and you. I think that's all she needs right now."</p><p>"...Yeah… you might be right." Doubt still crept in, but it was suddenly less effective and less crippling with Melinda giving him that soft smile. Phil sat up slowly to stop himself from staring at her, suddenly noticing the fireflies out in the yard as well. "Hey...have you ever caught a firefly?"</p><p>---</p><p>Daisy woke up to the sound of laughter. She groaned softly, rolling onto her side to check the digital clock on her nightstand.</p><p>11:46pm.</p><p>Maybe she had just imagined the sound and should go back to sleep...there it was again! Daisy huffed softly, wondering what idiot was running through their backyard in the middle of the night. She swung her legs out of bed and stretched, stumbling over to her window and peering into the darkness. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, then grinned widely at what she saw.</p><p>Phil and Melinda were trying to catch fireflies. Phil tried to verbally tell her how to do it, but when she got visibly frustrated, he settled for coming up behind her and directing her hands for her.</p><p>It took a few tries, but they finally caught one in her hands, and Daisy watched with bated breath as Melinda slowly opened her hands to find a little glowing firefly in her palm. Her whole face lit up, turning to give Phil an excited grin over her shoulder that melted away when their gazes met. Daisy was obviously too far away to tell for sure, but she was sure her dad was muttering something to Melinda...if the way she turned in his arms was any indication. He was still talking, probably rattling off some facts about the bug's luminescence or something. Jemma was a big biology fan, and had dumped a few nuggets of bio knowledge on him during their down time at the auto shop. </p><p>Melinda'a hands were closed around the little firefly while he talked, and she opened them slowly again to grin at it as he finished.</p><p>"It's beautiful." She hummed, watching the light grow and dim in time with some unknown rhythm.</p><p>"Yeah...it is." </p><p>Phil's warm breath was ghosting over the top of her head, and when she looked up at him again, she realized he wasn't paying that little firefly any attention at all. His eyes were on her and her alone, his hands on her upper arms, thumbs rubbing a soothing pattern against the goosebumps on her skin. She had left the blanket on the porch swing, but she was sure the goosebumps had nothing to do with her being cold. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her stomach tying in knots. Every nerve ending was focused on him, from the way his palms felt on her arms to the warmth of his breath on her face. She bit her lip, unsure if all the intense emotion she was feeling was being reciprocated...or if she was reading too much into this.</p><p>His world had narrowed to a singular point, to the woman in his arms. The woman who was currently searching his eyes, gently cradling a firefly in her hands… a firefly he had helped her catch. The glow from the little insect made her eyes shine, and that coupled with the moonlight above them had him just about ready to drop to one knee right then and there.</p><p>He was more than a little infatuated or sort of awestruck. </p><p>He was in love.</p><p>"Phil, I...um…"</p><p>Daisy was practically dancing in her bedroom, her whole body electrified with pure unbridled excitement. She had seen enough Hallmark and Disney movies to know what was about to happen between her dad and Melinda May. </p><p>People didn't get that close just to discuss politics. </p><p>Unfortunately Daisy had misjudged how slippery her socks were, because a moment later she had yanked her curtains down in an attempt to not hit the floor as hard.</p><p>Both Phil and Melinda heard the thump of Daisy's curtain rod hitting the floor, the moment between them effectively shattered as they exchanged a worried look and ran back into the house.</p><p>Daisy, alarmed and terrified, flew back beneath the covers with a speed she had only gotten from playing soccer. By the time Phil and Melinda got up to her room, it appeared that Daisy was still fast asleep. Her curtain rod was still on the floor, but it seemed that Daisy hadn't had anything to do with how it got there.</p><p>"Huh." Phil whispered as he entered her bedroom, gently picking up the curtain rod and inspecting the screws. "Guess I'll have to put this back up tomorrow."</p><p>"I'm surprised she didn't wake up." Melinda whispered as he tiptoed towards the door where she stood.</p><p>"She sleeps pretty heavy."</p><p>Daisy listened carefully for the click of her door shutting, letting out a long sigh of relief before sneaking out of bed to press an ear to the door.</p><p>"So um… we should probably get some sleep." Phil said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I have to get Daisy to her game early tomorrow but I can come back for you when it's actually supposed to start."</p><p>"Oh okay, thanks." Melinda said with a small smile, resisting the urge to tug a strand of her hair nervously. </p><p>"You're welcome." He smiled sheepishly.</p><p>Silence stretched on between them, neither of them meeting the other's eyes. Daisy wanted oh so badly to swing the door open and command them to just get it over with already. But if she had learned anything from TV, she knew they had to do it on their own.</p><p>Even if it took foreeeeeever.</p><p>"Goodnight, Phil." Melinda said eventually, making Daisy want to scream in frustration.</p><p>"Goodnight, Melinda." </p><p>Daisy listened to their steps go off in opposite directions, Phil to his bedroom on the left side of Daisy's room, Melinda to the guest room down the hall to the right of Daisy's room. She groaned inwardly, letting out a yawn and deciding she would worry about her nervous mess of a dad and their hesitant house guest in the morning. She fell into bed with a huff, completely unaware that both Phil and Melinda fell asleep with the other on their mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>MMMMMMMMMMMMM CHAPTER THREE IS ALREADY STRESSING ME OUT. LEMME KNOW IF U GOT ANY IDEAS. FEEL FREE TO DROP EM IN THE COMMENTS OR SHOOT ME A MESSAGE ON TUMBLR</p><p>@brutashaphilindaobitineohmy ✌🏾</p><p>Oh yeah and tell me how ya liked it if u like...liked it. K bye 😅</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Syrup-Sweet Kisses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Breakfast holds a pleasant surprise for Phil and Melinda. Daisy introduces her friends to her dad and ends up contemplating who Melinda is to her. An unexpected visitor forces Melinda to decide just how long her vacation is going to last, despite her intentions to put it off as long as possible.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>THIS ONE MADE ME TIRED.<br/>For some reason this one really took it out of me.<br/>I hope you like it, though!</p><p>I love these two so much I just want them to be happyyyyyyyyy</p><p>also Daisy is adorable</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Melinda couldn't remember the last time she woke up to the smell of a homemade breakfast. She rarely woke up early enough to actually cook something, and Maria was usually still snoring the morning away in her room when Melinda left the house. She supposed that was one of the perks of owning a comic book business. You could choose to open up at 2pm and no one would care.</p><p>Melinda opened her eyes with a yawn, blinking slowly against the urge to fall back to sleep. Phil had good taste in bed linens; Melinda swore she hadn't slept that good in years. The sheets felt like silk against her skin, the comforter cradling her so snugly she could have sworn Phil had come and tucked her in himself.</p><p>She wouldn't exactly be mad if he did, just upset that he hadn't climbed in beside her beforehand.</p><p>Melinda blamed her sleep-addled mind for the inappropriate thoughts, forcing herself to sit up and stretch. She allowed herself to look around, smiling gently at the deep burgundy walls, the charming wooden vanity and dresser, and the door that led to the guest room's bathroom with "potty room" spelled almost correctly at the top. Melinda laughed softly, realizing that Daisy must've been the one to write that when they'd first moved in. She had had decent penmanship for a ten year old.</p><p>The smell of frying bacon made Melinda groan audibly, her mouth actually watering. After a few minutes of telling herself she couldn't spend all day in this bed, Melinda made it into the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and ended up yawning so much that she couldn't bring herself to do much else.</p><p>"Breakfast first, then everything else." She muttered to herself as she descended the stairs.</p><p>It didn't take long for her to find the kitchen, despite her five minute detour on the stairs to look at the photos of Phil and his little family. Daisy as a toddler, grinning widely at the camera while waving sticky little hands in the air… Phil helping her ride a bike… and Daisy holding up what looked like some sort of clay art project, her smile missing a few teeth in the front. Melinda briefly wondered where the pictures of Audrey were, but wiped that thought from her mind a moment later. If she were in his position, any picture of her, no matter how sweet or wonderful the memory was… it would hurt to look at.</p><p>The smell of fresh homemade waffles and sizzling bacon drew her in like a siren, and before she knew it she was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.</p><p>She took a moment to just watch Phil as he practically glided between the stove, the countertop, and the island across from the stove. He wore dark denim jeans and a dark grey tshirt, accompanied by a white apron sporting the same patriotic shield she had seen in several different places around the house. She had to admit, he made the casual "dad making breakfast for his soccer star daughter" look work.</p><p>The way he cooked was an art in and of itself. A sprinkle of sugar here, some cilantro there, a drop of vanilla there… it was mesmerizing. He had gone above and beyond with breakfast, a stack of waffles on the counter with a plate of eggs and a platter of warm bacon beside it. He was currently mixing something sticky and deep red in a bowl, humming softly with a crooked smile on his face. Sun streamed in from the window above the sink, bathing the entire kitchen in a warm glow that Melinda knew she would miss when she went home. Phil glanced up from the bowl right at that moment, his cheeks coloring slightly as he set the bowl on the island.</p><p>"Good morning, Melinda!" He said with a grin. "Hungry?"</p><p>"Starving." She smiled, stepping into the kitchen and wandering over.</p><p>"Good. Because I made a lot." He chuckled, a little embarrassed.</p><p>Truth be told, Phil had woken up with this entire meal in mind. He had wanted to impress Melinda, especially after blowing his chance to kiss her the night before. If he hadn't hesitated quite as long…</p><p>He mentally shook himself, returning to the moment at hand as Melinda leaned her hip against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest. He really hoped she couldn't hear how hard his heart was beating right then, because wow it was really going. It had taken all of the strength in his body not to stand there, mouth open and eyes transfixed on her the minute she had shown up. </p><p>After grabbing her duffel bag from the motel and trying to unpack, she'd realized her clothes had gotten all but soaked during the plumbing fiasco. She had been visibly devastated, and while it was sweet of Daisy to offer some of her own pajamas, Phil had come up with a more...visually pleasing idea.</p><p>So when he had come out of his "cooking zone", he'd gone from staring into a bowl of mashed fresh strawberries and sugar to find Melinda standing there in his favorite Captain America t-shirt. It was a faded navy blue, the red and white becoming less and less visible as time went by. He wasn't that much bigger than her, but the shirt still shifted towards one slender shoulder while the hem rested a few inches below her waistline. He had found a pair of black drawstring shorts, and it only took some yanking of the strings to get them to stay up on her. All of that combined with the drowsiness hidden in her eyes and the sleep-mussed state of her hair had him begging the universe that her car never got fixed.</p><p>"What's that for?" Melinda's voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he smiled as he held the bowl up for her to sniff. "Smells good."</p><p>"I would hope so. It's fresh strawberry glaze for the waffles." He shrugged when she raised an eyebrow at him. "I've discovered that homemade waffles from scratch taste better with homemade 'syrup'. Plus Daisy loves it on game day."</p><p>"The fact that you made those waffles from scratch has me seeing you in a whole new light." She smirked, nodding at the waffles approvingly. Phil just chuckled and returned to whisking the glaze to avoid responding with something ridiculous. "Need a taste tester for that glaze?"</p><p>"Nope, but I welcome one." He grinned, setting the whisk against the inside rim of the bowl and grabbing a spoon from the drawer. He swirled it around in the glaze for a few seconds, shaking off the excess so she wouldn't end up with a head rush afterwards. "Here."</p><p>Instead of taking the spoon from him like he had expected, Melinda leaned forward and let him slide the spoon into her mouth. Her eyes slipped closed, a blissful hum leaving her.</p><p>Phil was glad her eyes were closed, because all he was able to do was watch the spoon slide out from between her soft lips. His heartbeat sped up about 3 times faster then, his mouth hanging slightly open in awe.</p><p>"That...is phenomenal." She sighed, opening her eyes.</p><p>Thankfully Phil was able to shut his mouth in time to give her a sheepish smile.</p><p>"Thanks, I'm glad you like it." He said with a soft laugh, turning to set the spoon in the sink while he willed his heart to calm down for five minutes. "Oh! I have something for you."</p><p>Melinda watched him curiously as he reached up into the cabinet above the fridge, her bottom lip stuck between her teeth as she watched his shirt slide up just a little bit at the action. He wasn't extremely muscular, which was fine by her since she had never found the body builder types to be very attractive. He had told her about how he used to swim and surf when he was in high school, and whenever he and Daisy went on vacation in California, they would spend most of the time on the beach. He still ran a few times each week, and all the lifting and movement in his auto shop was a workout on its own. There was a gym in town, but he had only visited a few times due to the fact that a certain someone (she had a sneaking suspicion it was Rosalind from the coffee shop) had started asking for very...physical help while he was there.</p><p>"Here we go." Phil smiled triumphantly, his cheeks coloring at the way Melinda was looking at him before she schooled her features back to normal. He chuckled softly to break the tension, hiding the box behind his back. "Now close your eyes and plug your nose."</p><p>"...That has got to be the strangest request I've heard in a long time." Melinda snorted, raising an eyebrow at him warily. "Why do I need to plug my nose?"</p><p>"Because I don't want you to spoil your surprise." He shrugged as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. He took a step forward, using his fingers to coax her eyes closed. She rolled them in response before doing as he wished. "Now c'mon Melinda, plug your nose...there we go. Be back in a minute!"</p><p>Melinda tried her best to discern what he was up to from sound alone, but the only thing she heard was his soft humming and the clinking of cups. </p><p>"How long am I supposed to stand here like this?" She asked, laughing softly at how congested she sounded from plugging her nose. "I feel like I've been kidnapped."</p><p>"Just trust me, the surprise is worth it."</p><p>"It had better be." She snorted, and he chuckled in response.</p><p>Phil took a deep breath as he finished what he was making, blowing on it gently before walking back over to Melinda. He really really hoped she liked it… this surprise had been a little difficult to arrange. He was glad Daisy had convinced him to buy ceramic cups that didn't get too hot on the outside, because the last thing he needed to do was give his dream girl a third degree burn.</p><p>"Okay, let go of your nose and hold out your hands. You can smell it but don't look yet." He watched her carefully as he spoke. "I wanna see if you can guess what it is."</p><p>Melinda did as instructed, a small smile blossoming on her face at the familiar feel of a teacup. </p><p>"Hm. So it's definitely tea." She smirked, her eyes still closed. She lifted the cup up to her nose, breathing in deeply and letting out a long sigh as waves of comfort flooded her. Her mouth hung open for a brief second, before she lifted the cup up to her lips and carefully sipped the tea.</p><p>Phil's heart skipped a beat when her eyes opened, her pupils widening the slightest bit when their eyes met. A content, blissful smile spread over her lips, her words coming out on a hum.</p><p>"You have outdone yourself, Phil Coulson." She said as she lifted the cup to her lips again. "I'm just wondering how you managed to find Japanese Gemicha and bring it here without me noticing. How did you even know it was my favorite?"</p><p>"Oh...I don't know." Phil grinned, shrugging and turning slowly on his heel to stir the glaze. "It's not like I called your roommate Maria and asked what you liked because I wanted you to be comfortable, since it's taking so long to fix your car."</p><p>Melinda cracked a smile, lifting the cup of tea to her lips again and taking a sip before speaking.</p><p>"Riiiiight, because you definitely don't care about me being comfortable." She hummed, moving to lean against the island beside him.</p><p>"Nope, I definitely don't care about that." He smirked, his hand holding the whisk slowing as he moved his gaze to meet hers.</p><p>"Or...my feelings." Melinda's heart leapt despite how hard she was trying to ignore it. She knew she was taking the conversation in a direction she originally hadn't meant to… but when again would they have a moment alone like this?</p><p>They both knew there was something between them. He wouldn't have almost kissed her the night before if there wasn't. He also wouldn't have taken her to dinner, introduced her to his daughter, or let her borrow his pajamas for the night if he felt nothing for her.</p><p>"Well, now that you mention it…" he gently tapped the whisk on the edge of the bowl, watching the excess glaze slide into it before he set it into the sink. He moved towards her fairly slowly, his steps a little unsure as he wiped his already clean hands on a towel just so he had something to focus on. "I could absolutely care less about how you feel."</p><p>"Of course, that's why you didn't just pour me a cup of coffee like you would anyone else." She shrugged, toying with the edge of her teacup as he nervously  closed the distance, the cup in her hands the only tangible thing separating them.</p><p>"Yeah, it's not like I knew you hated coffee or anything." He chuckled, his voice a little deeper and softer now that they were standing so close.</p><p>"That would be much too sweet of you." She replied softly, searching his eyes, her teacup finding its way into the island beside them as he wrapped his hand around it and moved it from between them.</p><p>"And I am anything but sweet."</p><p>"Obviously."</p><p>Their eyes never left each other, the air between them charged as if a storm was brewing. Like electricity it drew them together with an irresistible pull, fueled by the fire burning in both of them.</p><p>"I'm also an awful host." He mumbled, his eyes searching her face while his hands came up to tenderly rub her arms like they had the night before.</p><p>"The worst." She laughed softly, her entire body tingling in response to his touch.</p><p>"And you're a terrible houseguest." He chuckled lowly, taking note of the goosebumps that blossomed on her arms as a result.</p><p>"I do my best to be the worst." She hummed, tilting her head ever so slightly.</p><p>"The worst houseguest… who I definitely don't want to kiss right now." He half-whispered.</p><p>"And I absolutely don't want to let you." She smirked, her fingers nimbly tangling themselves in the front of his shirt.</p><p>Phil nearly groaned in relief when she met him halfway. He pulled her against him, his arms around her while one hand threaded up into her deliciously silky hair. Melinda sighed into the kiss, her hands fisting the front of his shirt, desperately holding him against her. She'd had a feeling he would be a good kisser, but this was something else. It was like fireworks going off, and yet also like waves gently rolling over the shore. Explosive and yet comforting in ways she had never experienced before, not even when she was married to Andrew.</p><p>Not that it was Andrew's fault at all. He was a good man, who had always done right by her. It was just that whatever this was between her and Phil… it was different.</p><p>Something ignited even further between them, Phil unable to do more than follow along as her back bumped the island, her grip on his shirt forcing him to place his hands on the top of the island on either side of her. Their lips broke contact for a quick second, a soft laugh escaping them both before he growled playfully and captured her lips again.</p><p>"Uhhhhhh good morning?" </p><p>Phil and Melinda jolted apart, Phil rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly while his counterpart wiped her mouth and suddenly found the floor to be exceedingly interesting. </p><p>They both were actively avoiding Daisy's amused gaze, so neither of them could see the excitement dancing in her eyes. She'd been quietly hoping her dad would find someone special again, not just because she wanted a mom, but because she saw the sadness hidden behind all the smiles and laughter. She knew he had been trying to be strong for her, never telling her how lonely he was or how much he missed having someone to talk to about everything.</p><p>Meeting Melinda had changed him already. Even that first night when he came home much later than he said he would, she knew he was different. His smile was different, not hiding any loneliness, just a genuine, happy smile.</p><p>"Um, good morning Daisy." Melinda smiled awkwardly, the embarrassment she felt making her entire face and neck hot.</p><p>"Hey, Angel Eyes." Phil chuckled nervously, walking over to the counter and gesturing to the food. "Made your favorite."</p><p>"Mmhm. Because that's what you were doing." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "C'mon I got a soccer game to get to. You guys can swap spit when I'm not here."</p><p>Daisy pretended not to notice how both of them cringed in response to that.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>While Melinda was in the shower, Phil paid Daisy a little visit. It wasn't everyday he got caught making out with someone he had just met two days ago...especially not by his thirteen year old daughter.</p><p>"Hey…" he said awkwardly, stepping into her bedroom.</p><p>"Oh, hey Dad." She grinned, lacing up one of her cleats. "I hear the shower still running so I'm guessing Melinda isn't out yet. Which means...you wanna talk about this morning."</p><p>Phil nodded, then rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he sat on the bed beside her.</p><p>"Yeah. Listen…" he took a deep breath, wondering why this was suddenly so hard. He'd never had issues talking to his daughter before. "I know it's weird, seeing me interested in someone new and-"</p><p>"Dad." Daisy put up a hand to stop him. "It's not that weird, okay? I like Melinda, you know that. She's great. And she makes you happy, happier than you've been since Mom died. That's all I care about. Sure I miss her, I'll always miss her. And sure it was a little hard to think you were falling for someone new. But honestly? It...feels right. I can't explain it."</p><p>"I felt that too." Phil let out a soft sigh of relief. He'd thought he was going a little crazy what with all the daydreaming and wondering what a future with Melinda around might be like. "But we know she has a life in the city and…"</p><p>"We should be prepared in case she decides she doesn't wanna stay." Daisy finished softly, toying with the laces of one of her cleats. "I don't think I want her to go."</p><p>"I don't either, trust me. But whatever she chooses, we have to be okay with it." Phil shrugged, allowing Daisy to lean her head against his shoulder.</p><p>"I hope she stays, Dad." Daisy said softly, crossing her arms.</p><p>Phil was quiet for a while, fighting past the sudden dull thud of his heart in his chest. Even the thought of watching Melinda walk out of their lives was painful. And though she might come back and visit every once in a while, he would have to live his life knowing he let the woman of his dreams, the woman he wanted more than anyone else in the world, slip through his fingers. On top of that, she might meet someone new in the city, someone who understood her schedule better than Phil would. Maybe she would get back together with her ex-husband Andrew. He knew she still cared about him, even if they weren't together and she had made it clear they were both fine with the split.</p><p>But what if she got lonely in the future? What if she remembered what she had once had with Phil, and rather than track him down, she went to Andrew to try and fill that need? </p><p>Not that Phil held anything against Andrew. He didn't even know the man. But, as a normal functioning human being with normal human emotions, Phil couldn't help but be a little jealous. Andrew knew what Melinda's favorite movie was, where she liked to spend her free time, what she looked like when she cried, if she sang, how adorable she must've been when she was angry…</p><p>Sure they both now knew what it was like to kiss her, but if things didn't go the way Phil hoped they would, that would be the end of it.</p><p>"...Yeah. I hope so too, peanut."</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Melinda sighed softly as she stared down at her feet, listening to the muffled sounds of Phil and Daisy talking in Daisy's room. The steam from the still running shower fogged the area around her, making her feel somewhat more sad. Melinda had heard them talking through the wall of the shower, and wasn't able to stop herself from pressing her ear against the wall to hear them more clearly.</p><p>She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Phil was right. She had a job, a roommate, a business to get back to… but all of that suddenly paled in comparison to a life here, with Phil and Daisy and the people they called family. Busy city life didn't hold a candle to long walks after dinner and looking at the stars, talking about life on the porch and catching fireflies, eating homemade breakfasts made by someone you cared for and watching soccer games out in the sun...</p><p>Shutting off the water, Melinda dried herself off and pushed the life-changing dilemma to the back of her mind. She still had the rest of the day to decide what she wanted to do. Right now, she was going to enjoy her time with the two people who had become extremely important to her.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Soccer games were taken more seriously here than in the city. Maybe it was because in the city they played indoors on artificial turf, instead of outside on an actual field. Melinda found she preferred the smell of freshly cut grass and the heat of sun-warmed metal bleachers, to the stench of sweat and feel of plastic chairs cooled by air conditioning.</p><p>"Here we go!" Phil plopped down beside her, snacks in hand. He had disappeared moments after he and Melinda had found seats in the middle of the bleachers, telling her that the best part of the game was the snacks. She had rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but blush and grin when he pecked her cheek before practically skipping off. "Hope you like nachos."</p><p>"Depends on the cheese." She snorted, taking the plastic container full of chips and melted cheese. </p><p>"Thankfully Daisy's coach makes sure the concession stand has the good stuff." Phil grinned, swiping one of her chips.</p><p>Melinda laughed and playfully smacked his arm, popping one of the cheese-drowned chips into her mouth while watching Daisy run out onto the field with her team. Daisy spun around to wave at them, and Melinda couldn't deny the affection that blossomed in her chest as she waved back. </p><p>Phil's crew from his auto shop sat on the bleachers a row down from them, all of them screaming Daisy's name so much Melinda wondered how the girl could even concentrate. It was cute though, seeing how genuinely happy they all were for their boss's little girl.</p><p>Throughout the game, Melinda and Phil alternated between eating unhealthy snacks and cheering for Daisy and her team. Melinda had never been big on soccer before, but twenty minutes into this one and she was right there along with the rest of the crowd. </p><p>At one point Phil had salt from a pretzel on the edge of his mouth, and Melinda swiped it away with her thumb without even thinking about it. </p><p>She didn't even look away from the game to do it, she just did it.</p><p>Phil smirked at how natural it felt, sneaking his hand up to smear buttery salt back onto the corner of his mouth. Again, Melinda reached up to wipe it away, seemingly slightly more exasperated but still not looking at him. </p><p>This time, Phil's fingers wrapped around her wrist before she could move it away. Her gaze whipped to her wrist quickly, her eyes wide and confused. Phil could see the questioning in her eyes, and before she could get a word out, he pressed a chaste kiss to her thumb.</p><p>Her expression melted into one of pure affection, her eyes soft and warm as he pressed another kiss to her palm before chuckling against her skin. Their eyes stayed locked as he snaked an arm around her waist, tucking her into his side as the crowd around them cheering the team scoring another goal.</p><p>Out on the field, Daisy jogged towards the sidelines, dripping sweat but grinning wildly. She had scored a decent amount of their goals so far, and her teammates were more than pleased with everyone's performance so far. They were up 4 points, and with the way things were going now, they would be carrying that trophy home in no time.</p><p>"Hey, good job out there Daisy." Lincoln Campbell smiled, gently patting her shoulder as he sat beside her on the bench. Coach Thompson had called a timeout, so everyone had grabbed a Gatorade and were taking the time to catch their breath.</p><p>Daisy's cheeks warmed, her stomach dropping so hard she almost gagged. Lincoln Campbell was a year older than her, and one of the cutest boys she had ever seen. He had gorgeous blonde hair, mesmerizing eyes, and a smile that could bring an army to its knees. Why he had chosen to sit next to her was a mystery.</p><p>"Um...thanks, Lincoln. You're doing great too." She toyed with the lid of her Gatorade, glancing up to find Elena Rodriguez and Alphonso Mackenzie making their way over.</p><p>It was obvious something was going on between the two, but neither of them would acknowledge it. They were both amazing soccer players, the type that made other teams nervous when they heard their names.</p><p>Elena was fast. Wicked fast. Half the time nobody saw her coming until it was too late. She had an aggression to her as well, most of her insults flying out in fluent Spanish that sounded like daggers even if you had no idea what she was saying.</p><p>Alphonso, or Mack as he liked to be called, was a literal tank. Both he and Elena were two years older than Daisy, but Mack stood several inches over every other kid on the team. He was like a big brick wall of solid chocolate concrete.</p><p>They were both two of her best friends, both of them being so welcoming and nice to her when she first moved here that the town instantly felt like home.</p><p>"Hola, Star Player!" Elena grinned, elbowing Daisy as she sat on the other side of her. "You're on fire today!"</p><p>"Thanks, Elena." Daisy shrugged, laughing nervously at the fact that Lincoln was STILL RIGHT THERE. "Just doing my best."</p><p>"I'd call it more than that, Tremors." Mack snorted, tossing the ball to her and grinning when she nearly didn't catch it. His little nickname for her stemmed from the "bleachers incident", when she'd kicked the ball so hard it rammed into the bleachers and let out a clang so loud everyone's ears rang.</p><p>"You're just showing off for your dad's crew again." Elena smirked, elbowing her. "Los niños grandes."</p><p>"They're adults, Elena." Lincoln rolled his eyes, giving Daisy a supportive smile that she sheepishly returned.</p><p>The four of them turned to find Daisy's dad and his entourage, waving excitedly when they saw the signs Jemma and Bobbi had made. Hunter held up one that said "Go Daisy!" in all caps, Fitz and Jemma held one that said "Send em packin', Ships!", while the third sign that said "Daisy C is Peachy Keen!" was hanging to one side due to the fact that the people holding it were not paying any attention.</p><p>Daisy couldn't mask the happy grin that spread over her lips at the sight of her dad and Melinda smiling at each other like idiots in love. They each held a corner of the sign, but since neither of them were focused on anything but each other, most of it wasn't visible. They were obviously talking, if the way Melinda was rolling her eyes and the way he playfully flicked her nose was any indication. But they could've been discussing the weather for all Daisy cared.</p><p>She was just happy her dad was happy.</p><p>"Hey, Daisy, is that your mom?" Mack asked, his head tilted to one side. "Never seen her before. She's pretty. You look just like her."</p><p>"Yeah, mi amigo you're like her twin." Elena raised an eyebrow, the four of them watching who she thought were Daisy's parents make goo-goo eyes at each other.</p><p>Daisy bit her lip. She hadn't told any of her new friends about what happened to her mom. She didn't want them to pity her or see her as someone to baby just because she didn't have a mom.</p><p>She could go ahead and tell them the truth, they would probably find out eventually anyway, or… she could take a moment to just entertain the idea of Melinda being her mother.</p><p>"Thanks, guys." She smiled, tears threatening to well up in her eyes as she allowed herself to think 'that's my mom sitting up there with my dad'. "I guess I see it."</p><p>"I definitely do." Lincoln said quietly, which Daisy tried not to be thrown off by and instead gave him a slight smile while she unscrewed the lid to her Gatorade.</p><p>She took a gulp to distract herself, silently wishing again that Melinda would choose to stay.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Lincoln ended up kicking the winning goal. Daisy had had the chance to do so, but realizing he was both closer and deserved the victory, had called out his name and kicked the ball to him. The whole team went wild with excitement, tackling Lincoln before lifting him up in the air. He grinned and pumped his fists, holding the trophy up for the crowd to see when the referee gave it to him. It wasn't a large trophy, but it was a trophy nonetheless. They had a right to be excited.</p><p>Daisy had run up to Phil and his crew when her team stopped hugging and laughing, dragging her friends over to meet them. </p><p>"Guys, this is my dad, Jemma, Fitz, Hunter, and Bobbi." They waved in turn, and she gestured to her friends. "And this is Mack, Elena, and...Lincoln."</p><p>Melinda immediately picked up on the way Daisy's voice lifted ever so slightly when she introduced Lincoln. </p><p>She knew what it looked like when a girl had a crush.</p><p>Daisy turned her attention to her, and Melinda gave her a knowing smile that made Daisy's eyes widen until she went into a mild coughing fit. When she finally pulled herself together and everyone stopped looking like they might call 911, she remembered she forgot to introduce Melinda.</p><p>"Oh and this is...um…" Suddenly Daisy's mouth went dry. She had let her friends think Melinda was her mom. If she introduced her as Melinda, they would know something was off. Most of the other kids called their parents "mom" and "dad". Only the ones who always got in trouble called their parents by their first names.</p><p>Daisy didn't want to be labeled as a kid that got in trouble. Thankfully, Melinda picked up on her inner turmoil. While she had no idea that Daisy hadn't told them about Audrey, she could tell that introducing her as "Melinda" would feel strange to her.</p><p>"I'm Melinda. Nice to meet you all." She said politely, leaving it there without any further explanation.</p><p>The kids seemed to be fine with that, and Phil offered to take the kids out to celebrate as a way to break the awkward tension, his hand on the small of Melinda's back without either of them realizing it.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>After eating their weight in pizza at PJ's Diner and inhaling so much ice cream their taste buds froze, it was time to go get more work done on Melinda's car. She only had the rest of the day before she had to head home… or decide to stay here. Either way, it was best if the car was repaired for whatever she chose.</p><p>So that was where they all found themselves, entering the auto shop and frowning at the sad state of her rental.</p><p>"Oof." Mack grunted, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"Oof is right." Lincoln muttered. "That's a rough one."</p><p>"I don't know how you drove it to begin with." Elena blinked, looking at Melinda.</p><p>"Very carefully." Melinda laughed, unaware of the tender smile on Phil's face as he watched her interact with his daughter's friends. A pang of sadness hit him then, which he tried to cover up by moving away from the group to grab his work clothes from his office.</p><p>He really didn't want her to leave.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Andrew Garner frowned at his phone, sighing heavily as Melinda's answering machine picked up for what felt like the billionth time today. He pulled his car up to the curb, looking around at the shops in this small town. Most places seemed fairly busy, but in a quaint, comfortable way.</p><p>He would've stopped to take in the serenity of the place if he wasn't on an almost frantic search for his ex. His phone beeped to tell him his battery was running low, and he groaned loudly. Climbing out of his car, he scanned the area again for any place she might have visited. Seeing a sign for a coffee shop, Andrew tucked his wallet into his pocket, locked his car, and hurried into the shop.</p><p>Rosalind Price glanced up from her phone at the ringing of the bell above the coffee shop front door. She half-expected it to be Phil and Daisy again, so she was very surprised to see a slightly-panicked man walk in. He looked lost, confused, and uneasy. </p><p>"Can I help you?" She asked with a slight laugh as he approached the counter. "Although you look on edge as it is. Not sure coffee would be best for you."</p><p>"Huh?" Andrew blinked, then laughed. He had a nice, warm laugh. "No, sorry. I'm actually looking for someone."</p><p>"Let me guess." Rosalind sighed, grabbing her own mug of coffee and taking a sip. "Short, asian, black hair, hates coffee but came into a coffee shop to look for tea?"</p><p>"That's her." Andrew sighed with relief, chuckling softly at the humorous description. </p><p>"Ah." Rosalind smiled. "Yeah, she was here the other day. Ordered green tea and a scone I think. She sat at the table over there."</p><p>"Did you see where she went when she left?"</p><p>"No, but she was with one of my regulars and his daughter…" Rosalind raised an eyebrow, leaning forward a bit. "Why?"</p><p>"I'm here to take her home. Her car broke down?"</p><p>Rosalind tried not to look too happy about that. While she had sort of liked this Melinda person, Rosalind had been the one to start flirting with Phil first. She wouldn't sabotage their little...whatever it was, but if this man needed Melinda back...she was a little obligated to help. </p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Andrew pulled into the parking lot of the auto shop with an exhausted sigh, hoping and praying that Melinda would be there. He had driven all over town trying to follow the barista's directions, and if Melinda wasn't even here…</p><p>Andrew took a deep breath, choosing to stay positive as he got out of the car. He ducked underneath the partially opened door to the garage, wincing a little at the music echoing around the room. He noticed a group of kids playing video games against one of the walls, crowded around the medium-sized tv and cheering each other on as they played what looked like a game of Fifa '19.</p><p>"Um..excuse me?" Andrew said, frowning slightly when none of the kids noticed him. </p><p>So he tried again.</p><p>"Excuse me!" He said a little louder, catching the attention of the girl in the center of the group who looked strangely like Melinda... if Melinda was half-caucasian. "Hi there. I'm looking for Phil Coulson?"</p><p>Daisy blinked at the new man, her head tilting to the side as she sized him up real quick. </p><p>"You need my dad?"</p><p>"Yes. I'm Andrew Garner."</p><p>Daisy's eyes narrowed, the name sounding familiar for all the wrong reasons. But she couldn't just lie to the man. That would be wrong.</p><p>"My dad's over there. Front of the car."</p><p>Andrew looked to where Daisy was pointing, taking note of how reluctantly she seemed to be doing so. His career as a psychiatrist had him wanting to ask if she was alright, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. </p><p>"Thanks."</p><p>Daisy turned back to playing her video games, choosing to bask in the warmth she felt with Lincoln sitting beside her instead of thinking about how this Andrew guy might be taking Melinda with him.</p><p>Andrew walked towards the front of the car, the music around them getting louder and causing him to wonder if this Phil person had hearing loss. He heard other voices and saw figures moving beneath and behind the car, but chose to make his way to the front instead of investigating. The crew gave him strange looks as he went, and he responded with an uncomfortable smile of his own.</p><p>When he finally reached the front of what was shaping up to be a sad excuse for a motor vehicle, his stomach twisted violently at what he found.</p><p>The man he assumed to be Phil Coulson was standing behind Melinda, one hand resting comfortably on her waist and the other on her wrist, directing her to each part of the car that his team had been working on under the hood. Melinda laughed at the frustrated huff he let out when she called nearly every part he had just introduced to her a "doohickey" or a "thingy".</p><p>"You're trouble, you know that?" Phil muttered into her ear, kissing her cheek and listening to the giggles that resulted from his attention. "Just terrible."</p><p>"You like terrible." She smirked, turning her head to meet his gaze with a lovestruck (if not embarrassingly affectionate) look on her face.</p><p>The face she saw out of her peripheral effectively popped their little bubble of happiness.</p><p>"Andrew." Melinda's smile disappeared, her brow knitted in confusion as she and Phil straightened, separating so Andrew wouldn't be too uncomfortable.</p><p>"Melinda." Andrew would have said more, would have told her how happy he was to see her safe, would have asked what he had missed and try to figure out what he had walked up on… but all he could manage to say was her name.</p><p>The three of them were terrifyingly quiet for far too long, none of them sure what to say in a moment like this. Hunter, Fitz and Bobbi peeked at them from their positions around and under the car, waiting tensely for something...anything...to happen. The music was still going, which somehow only served to make things even more awkward.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Melinda sighed softly as she stirred her tea, leaning back in Phil's desk chair. After introducing himself to Andrew and exchanging some pointless pleasantries, Phil had awkwardly directed them to his office, allowing them to talk things out there instead of in front of everyone. He had slipped back out to help with her car, even though Melinda saw the concern in his eyes before he left.</p><p>"Well... I guess I had no reason to be concerned." Andrew broke the silence with a chuckle, sipping the coffee Phil had brought him. He had tried not to notice the tenderness in Melinda's eyes when Phil had brought them their drinks, brushing it off as her response to his kindness...just to make himself feel better for a moment. "I just… I've been trying to call you, Melinda."</p><p>"I'm sorry, Andrew. I was out with Coulson and his daughter Daisy." She smiled a little, running her finger around the edge of her mug. "She won her first big soccer game and... I must've left my phone in my car."</p><p>"Ohhhh…" He smiled a little as well, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry for just showing up, Mel. You know how I worry."</p><p>"Yes, I do." She smirked, raising the mug to her lips. She closed her eyes involuntarily and hummed, opening them to smile fondly at the mug briefly returning her attention to Andrew, who was staring at her with a forlorn smile on his lips.</p><p>"I recognize that little smile. That's your tea." He smiled tenderly, remembering seeing her smile like that several times during their marriage. "I'm surprised you were able to find it here."</p><p>"Phil- Coulson...actually found it for me." She shrugged, her cheeks warming when she remembered what had happened when he had surprised her with it.</p><p>"Oh. That was nice of him." He paused, watching her slowly set down the mug on the desk. "You know, you don't have to pretend with me. I saw you two earlier."</p><p>Melinda worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her chest tightening as she realized they were apparently going to have the conversation she had been hoping to avoid. Not that she didn't think he would understand. They had agreed to be okay with the other finding love elsewhere when they got divorced. But it still felt a little like betrayal, as if she were throwing her newfound happiness in his face while he had yet to find someone new.</p><p>"I…" she let out a long sigh, remembering that this was Andrew, the man who had spent time with her, had seen her cry, had seen her laugh, had seen her at her highest and had also seen her at her lowest. He knew her better than most, and there was no reason to attempt lying to him or try to hide what they both knew was true.</p><p>"It's okay, Melinda." He said softly, reaching out to touch her hand.</p><p>She was falling for Phil, and she was scared of what that would mean for all of them.</p><p>"I care about him, Andrew." She started slowly, her eyes on their hands. It was funny that she could still find comfort in him, even after all this time. "But this is just a vacation. What if… when I go back-"</p><p>"Then don't go back." Andrew said simply, drawing back to lean against the back of his chair. "Just stay here."</p><p>"I can't just stay here." Melinda rolled her eyes, giving him an exasperated look which he playfully returned.</p><p>"Yes you can." He chuckled, grabbing his mug to blow on his coffee before he continued. "Your business partner can run the dojo and you can visit whenever you feel like you have to. Maria won't be upset at having the apartment all to herself, trust me. I'm sure she'll find use for all that extra space. Take my advice and do something for yourself for once."</p><p>"I was doing something for myself." She huffed. "I opened the dojo for me. You know it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to teach and-"</p><p>"Yes, but the dojo is running just fine even with you taking time off. You aren't abandoning your students, just taking a more managerial position."</p><p>Melinda went silent, staring at him in confused shock. It was obvious he wasn't exactly happy about her staying, but he also knew it wasn't his decision. She could see all over his face that he wanted her to go back to the city, back to where she had been thriving and where he knew exactly where she was and that she was safe. </p><p>But she had found something here.</p><p>The kind of something that made her smile so much her face hurt, made her heart skip a beat when she thought about it and caused the butterflies that she had once thought were long dead to kick up anew.</p><p>It was a complete contrast to her everyday life. She had gone from traffic jams to usually open roads, from long annoying Starbucks lines to quiet mornings with Phil and Daisy at Rosalind's Café.</p><p>Andrew Garner had always wanted her to be happy. He wanted her to do what brought her joy, and was always there to support her in whatever endeavor even if they weren't together at the time.</p><p>It was just surprising that he was telling her to stay here, in this town, with a man he didn't know...because it made her happy.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Finishing their conversation was bittersweet, because it meant that she had made her decision and there was no more back and forth. Melinda just had to tell Phil and Daisy.</p><p>She only hoped they would be okay with it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gonna try to get two more chapters out of this AU before I put it to rest. If you have any ideas, let me know! Drop them in the comments or inbox me on Tumblr!</p><p>(also i made Rosalind borderline evil because even tho i have no issues with her as a person, i haaaaaated her as a love interest for Phil)</p><p>(ANDREW IS THE BEST EX OTAY)</p><p> </p><p>Oh and the mascot for Daisy's soccer team is the same as Coulson's canon high school mascot. I think. Idk I did a Google search and went with it.</p><p>THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>i am exhausted</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Staying</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Melinda finally tells Phil.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG</p><p>I can't even explain how crazy busy I was. It was insane. Hopefully this makes up for it! I have no idea how this actually turned out soooooo yeahhhhh enjoy I guess?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, what’s your favorite type of movie?” Daisy grinned around a mouthful of leftovers, swallowing hard and hiccuping a moment later. “Are you an action person or a sappy romantic comedy person like Dad?”</p><p>“Little bit of both.” Melinda smiled, handing Daisy a napkin which she took with a sheepish smile. “But don’t tell your dad.”</p><p>“Right.” Daisy nodded seriously. “He might force you to watch Sleepless in Seattle forty times like he did me. Just say you like horror or something, he’s not into that.”</p><p>“Thanks for the advice.” Melinda laughed, balling up Daisy’s napkin and tossing it into the trash. “I’ll do that.”</p><p>“Nice shot.” Daisy said appreciatively, raising her eyebrow in such a way that all Melinda could think about was how similar Phil and his daughter were.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>They were sitting at the dining room table, a plate of leftovers from their dinner the night before half finished in front of each of them. After Daisy’s friends had gone home, Phil had gotten caught up at the auto shop with a struggling van that had been brought in by a panic-stricken man and his three teenage boys. Phil had tried to explain that he had to finish Melinda’s car first, but the man had been so hysterical that Phil could hardly get a word in edgewise. </p><p>He had apologized profusely to her, sighing and promising he would get her car going as soon as he was done with the van. But Melinda calmed him with her index finger against his lips, assuring him it was fine. His eyes had softened as he eagerly took her hand in his own, pressing a kiss to the back of it with an appreciative grin as he thanked her for understanding.</p><p>Daisy and Melinda would have stayed at the shop until closing, but Phil hadn’t liked the way the youngest boy was staring at his daughter while she sat on the trunk of Melinda’s car and watched his team work. Melinda had picked up on his parental discomfort, and silently clocked the way relief washed over his face when she offered to take Daisy home.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>“Thank you. Again.” he practically sighed, handing her the keys to Blue with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about this.”</p><p>“It’s not a problem.” Melinda gave him an understanding smile, her heart fluttering at the way his eyes shone. “I don’t mind watching her for a while.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’ll be fun!” Daisy grinned, bouncing on her toes. “I can show Melinda your stash of cheesy rom-coms, and we can raid your hoard of candy!”</p><p>“Just don’t eat all of my Reese’s.” he laughed softly, if not a bit more embarrassed that Melinda now knew about his sweet tooth. “Daisy knows not to touch those, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yes, Dad.” Daisy huffed, rolling her eyes. “I won’t touch your precious peanut butter diabetes cups.”</p><p>“Thank you. Now go get your bag.” he snorted, playfully ruffling her hair and laughing when she tried to bat his hands away.</p><p>“I’m sure Dad would let you have some Reese’s.” Daisy half-whispered to Melinda, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “You’re speeeeeeeeecial.”</p><p>“Yeah thanks.” Melinda smirked, fully aware of the heat creeping up her neck from the way Daisy was winking at her. “I sort of picked up on that.”</p><p>“Just sayin’,” Daisy shrugged. “My dad can be sorta dense and confusing sometimes so-”</p><p>“Go, Daisy.” Phil interrupted with a grunt, rolling his eyes as they watched Daisy grin innocently at him before running off.</p><p>“You don’t have to worry about your precious Reese’s. I’m more of a lollipop person anyway.” Melinda said, laughing softly as she watched Daisy animatedly say goodbye to Fitz and Bobbi on her way to grab her things.</p><p>Phil was glad she wasn’t looking at him right at that second, because his entire face and neck was bright crimson from simply imagining Melinda with a lollipop in her mouth. He bit the inside of his lip as hard as he could to try and focus on the pain, but when Melinda glanced up to tell him goodbye, he couldn’t stop his gaze from going straight to her mouth.</p><p>Melinda raised an eyebrow at him, a familiar chill running down her spine when his tongue peeked out to wet his lips without his gaze leaving her mouth for even a second.</p><p>“Phil?” </p><p>Phil swallowed thickly, finally blinking himself back to reality and forcing himself to meet her gaze rather than fall back into the extremely...inappropriate thoughts in his head. He was glad she couldn't read minds, otherwise he would probably be on the receiving end of a very displeased frown.</p><p>“Uh...Yeah?” he smiled sheepishly, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.</p><p>“Maybe you should get back to work so you can actually get some sleep tonight.” Melinda teased to break the tension, patting his chest gently. "Apparently you need it."</p><p>She chose not to think about how solid his chest felt beneath her palm, or how all she wanted to do was fall asleep cradled against that chest with his arms around her.</p><p>“Right. Yeah.” Phil chuckled softly in response, feeling an all-too-familiar burn creeping up his neck and to his ears. He rubbed the back of his neck, watching quietly as she walked over to the chair against the wall and shrugged on her jacket. She tugged her hair out of her collar with a soft sigh, moving her hands down to zip up her jacket. But before she could touch the zipper, Phil’s hands were already there. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he just smiled shyly right back.</p><p>“Let me.”</p><p>Melinda could do nothing but stand there. The smile lines at the corners of his mouth, coupled with the way his eyes crinkled when he glanced up at her made her stomach do an odd flop that wasn’t all that unpleasant. </p><p>“Is this how you thank me for taking your daughter home?” she said on a soft sigh, unable to wipe the smile off of her face. “Zipping me up?”</p><p>“If you want it to be.” he laughed softly, his fingers still clasping her zipper even with her jacket fully zipped up. Steve Rogers himself could walk in and he probably wouldn’t even notice. Not with the most amazing woman he had ever met standing in front of him.</p><p>“Mm...I think you can do better.” Melinda hummed thoughtfully, feeling a little ridiculous for flirting so openly with a man she had only met a few days ago. She had once been so level-headed, analyzing every interaction she had to ensure no one could use what she said against her. But ever since she got stranded, ever since she met Phil Coulson and spent time learning what made his home so special… she felt a little like the main characters in the ridiculous Hallmark movies Maria would force her to watch with her after a bad blind date.</p><p>Was it strange for her to feel like she could just drop her old life right about now? The way he was looking at her… How could she just walk away from a man like this? A man who had already given her so much without even knowing her that well. He had brought her into his life... let her meet his daughter, welcomed her into his home, let her borrow his clothes to sleep in and had gone above and beyond to make her comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. From the very beginning, he treated her as a friend, like someone he could spend hours with and not regret a single minute of it. </p><p>“Don’t get your hopes up too high, I’m just a man.” he grinned, tugging her the slightest bit closer, more than a little pleased when she went along with it and both of her hands pressed against his chest.</p><p>It was that darned smile he was giving her… like she was responsible for single handedly bringing the sun out every morning… it gave her butterflies and chills and all the other cliche’ physical responses she thought she’d never experience again. He was all gentle caresses and lingering kisses that made her feel a sort of affection she had never felt before.</p><p>“Oh I think you’re a little bit more than that.”</p><p>“So then what am I...?” Phil swallowed thickly, his heart racing wildly in his chest. "To you?"</p><p>His imagination had been running away from him lately, visions of a world where they were together settling comfortably in the back of his mind. He could see himself waking up to see her smiling sleepily at him in the morning, could feel her brushing past him as they made breakfast together, saw her waiting in his office when he got done at the shop, heard her helping Daisy with her homework after school, felt her breathing even out in his arms at night… He sincerely hoped the desperation and hope he felt in his heart wasn’t showing on his face, because he didn’t want her to feel badly if she still intended on leaving him the next afternoon. She had a life to get back to, and if she chose to pursue it, he didn’t want her to feel that she had hurt him by doing so… even if the thought of her leaving made his entire body ache.</p><p>“I think you know…" Melinda had had a long speech planned for when a moment like this came. She planned to explain how she had to go back and see how her job was doing, talk to her roommate, think about what it would cost to leave it all behind, if it was truly worth it… But her voice caught in her throat. The words “I don’t know” were stuck on the tip of her tongue, and no matter how hard she tried to get them out, they wouldn’t budge. </p><p>What Andrew had said to her before he left echoed in her mind. He had basically asked her what would make her happier: going back home to her life in the city, or staying here with Phil and his daughter? She hadn't exactly answered his question, because the answer she wanted to give him startled her.</p><p>Of course she would be happier staying. Only a very thick-headed person would turn their back on a life like this, with these people.</p><p>Phil stared down at her, his heart racing even faster when he saw a flash of resolve in her eyes as if she had decided something.</p><p>"Melin-"</p><p>She wordlessly grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling him down close enough that their lips were almost touching. It would only take a whisper of a breeze to close the space, and yet she made sure they remained exactly where they were.</p><p>Phil had a feeling that when people said they were “suspended between pleasure and pain”, it felt somewhat like being a breath’s distance away from kissing Melinda May. It was the sweetest kind of torture, whether she realized that was the effect she was having on him. But she was so close… her lips so tantalizingly inviting that all he could do was stare at them. His chest felt tight, almost as if he couldn’t breathe normally with her so overwhelmingly close.</p><p>Her tongue slipped out to wet her lips, making Phil’s stomach clench and his heartbeat to officially reach mach speed. He finally tore his gaze away from her mouth to find her eyebrow raising, as if to say ‘the ball’s in your court now’.</p><p>Indeed it was.</p><p>If she thought the kiss they’d shared before breakfast was mind-blowing, the way he was kissing her right now was downright euphoric. His mouth was just as soft and tender as it had been before, only this time she could practically feel the passion and relief flowing out of him. Fireworks exploded behind her eyelids, her mind going fuzzy as his palm followed the curve of her spine, allowing her to melt into his arms with a sigh as his other hand wound into her hair. Her hands found their way up his chest to grip his collar, tugging him down against her more with a soft sigh. He tightened his arm around her waist in response, smiling against her mouth when he felt her arms around his neck, her fingers pressed against the back of his head to keep him close.</p><p>Daisy turned from her conversation with Fitz and Hunter to see what was taking Melinda so long, gagging comically when she saw her dad and Melinda kissing like the world was ending in five minutes.</p><p>“Ew, Dad! Gross! My eyes!!!” she squealed, covering her eyes. “Get a room already!”</p><p>Daisy’s disgusted cries allowed reality to fade back in, Phil chuckling breathlessly as he broke the kiss and remembered that they were not alone in this garage. He found it difficult to not be more than a little pleased at the look on Melinda’s face, especially when her eyes opened and she just smiled at him with a lopsided grin. "...I really wanted to do that.”</p><p>“Does it look like I was upset by it?” she smirked, reaching up to smooth down the hair she had been toying with at the back of his head.</p><p>“Well, no…” he chuckled, struggling to resist the urge to capture her lips again. All he had to do was lean forward and-</p><p>“Okay, okay time to go!” Daisy interrupted, running over and waving her arms in their faces, grabbing Melinda by the wrist to tug her towards the door. “Say bye, Dad!”</p><p>Phil had shot her an annoyed look, which she just grinned at in return while skipping out with Melinda in tow. Melinda could only laugh and follow her, returning Phil’s wave before they left the shop. The door shut with a click, and Phil finally tore his lovesick gaze from it to face his team.</p><p>Hunter was smirking, Fitz’s face was red and his gaze was locked on the floor, while Bobbi and Jemma looked like their faces might split from grinning so hard.</p><p>“Alright, back to work.” Phil laughed uncomfortably, grabbing his work gloves off of the chair and walking back towards the van.</p><p>“You really expect us to go back to business as usual after that?!?” Hunter laughed. </p><p>“Hate to admit it, Coulson, but Hunter has a point.” Bobbi shrugged, leaning her hip against the van with her arms crossed. “It’s not every day you see your boss making out with his girlfriend at work. Especially with other customers hanging out in his office.”</p><p>“She’s not exactly my girlfriend...” Phil laughed awkwardly, popping the hood of the van.</p><p>“You might as well cut out the middleman and give her her own key to the house at this point.” Fitz interrupted, chuckling uneasily when Jemma scoffed and elbowed him. “I’m just saying.”</p><p>“Leave him alone, you three.” Jemma sighed, walking over beside Coulson and giving him a reassuring pat on his arm. “This is a big change. Let him process.”</p><p>“Thanks Jemma.” Phil said with a soft chuckle, relief evident in his tone.</p><p>That seemed to end the conversation for a while, Bobbi and Fitz checking things out under the van while Hunter joined Phil under the hood. They worked for about ten minutes in relative quiet, but (as expected) Hunter couldn’t keep silent for very long. He took Fitz’s place under the van while Fitz helped Phil with an engine issue, and leaned over to mutter in Bobbi’s ear while she tightened the bolts above her head.</p><p>“I’m sure he’s not the only one who needs to process.” Hunter snorted, grinning at her when she looked over at him. “Did you see the look on her face? How come you never look at me like that, love?”</p><p>“Multiple reasons.” Bobbi sighed, rolling her eyes and getting back to work. “We don’t have time to go over them all.”</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>“You mentioned a candy stash somewhere?” Melinda asked Daisy as they finished washing and putting away the dishes, and Daisy’s entire face lit up in response.</p><p>When they had first started washing the dishes, Daisy casually mentioned how she didn’t really get to do chores with her mom because she was so young. She told Melinda she was usually doing her coloring homework at the dinner table while her mom cleaned, and while she hadn’t known she would be losing her mom so early on in her life, sometimes she wished she could have had the chance to hate doing chores with her. Melinda wasn’t sure how to respond, especially when Daisy looked her right in her eye and said,</p><p>“I’m happy I have the chance to do it now.”</p><p>As Melinda climbed the stairs behind Daisy, she finally allowed herself to come to terms with the turn her life was about to take. She ran her fingers up the banister as they walked, thinking about how many times she would end up doing this in the future, how many nights she would end by climbing these stairs to find the two people she had come to think of as family. She left the hall light on for whenever Phil came in, trying not to smile too much at the thought. It was hard though, because it was the sort of thing that made her chest fill with warmth, just thinking about Phil coming home, knowing she was there and being irrevocably happy about seeing her.</p><p>“Thriller or comedy?”</p><p>Melinda blinked out of her thoughts, smiling to cover up the fact that she had no idea how she ended up sitting at the edge of Phil’s bed already. She thought about Daisy’s question, looking at the two DVDs she was holding up from her spot next to the wall-mounted tv.</p><p>“Comedy.”</p><p>“That’s what I was thinking.” Daisy grinned, putting the DVD in and climbing onto the bed. She leaned over the edge, pulling out a shoebox with the words ‘Daddy’s Candy’ scribbled on it in messy crayon. “Dad had me write it when I was little so I would feel like it was our secret and wouldn’t mess with it. He had to tell me how to spell ‘candy’.”</p><p>“Seems like that strategy backfired a little.” Melinda laughed softly in response, watching Daisy open the lid and start rifling through the contents. There was mostly chocolate, mainly Reese’s peanut butter cups, but they were able to pick out some Starbursts and Chupa Chup lollipops to last them through the movie.</p><p>By the time the movie was halfway over, Daisy was barely hanging on. They had moved back against the headboard, a pile of candy wrappers between them and matching lollipops sticks hanging out of their mouths. Their eyes were a little puffy from laughing so hard they cried, stomachs aching faintly as well. Melinda had been listening to Daisy’s enthusiastic commentary, occasionally adding in her own thoughts and feeling her heart swell whenever she made Daisy laugh. Eventually Daisy’s comments started to get less frequent, and the ones she managed to get out were slurred.</p><p>Melinda looked over when she felt a weight against her shoulder, her crossed arms shaking lightly as she let out a soft laugh. Daisy was fast asleep, the stick from her last lollipop hanging out of her mouth and teetering precariously towards the bed. Melinda smiled as she took the stick out and set it and all the other wrappers on the nightstand, moving as little as possible to avoid waking Daisy up. She gently wrapped an arm around Daisy’s back, shifting her forward slightly to slide her down so she could sleep with her head on Phil’s pillows. She yawned, her eyes opening briefly before she groaned and closed them again.</p><p>“...Movie over?”</p><p>“Not yet.” Melinda said softly, unable to resist the urge to brush the hair out of Daisy’s face and tuck it behind her ear. “You want me to wake you up when it ends?”</p><p>“No, it’s okay. Dad’ll just move me over if I end up taking too much space. He lets me sleep in here when he’s running late.” she smiled drowsily, shifting onto her side facing Melinda’s leg. “Are you gonna go to the guest room when the movie stops?”</p><p>“Only if you think I should.” Melinda replied softly, reminding herself that this was still a very new situation for all of them. She had yet to tell either of them that she wanted to stay, and she had to consider how Daisy might feel about it even though they got along really well. Daisy was very important, and Melinda needed to make sure she knew how valued her opinion was. She would never try to take the place of Audrey, and wanted to make sure Daisy knew that before things went any further with Phil.</p><p>“I think you should stay, at least till Dad gets home.” she yawned. "He'll be looking for you."</p><p>“Okay." Melinda couldn't help but smile. "Goodnight Daisy.”</p><p>Daisy was quiet for a while, so Melinda assumed she had fallen back to sleep and returned her attention to the movie.</p><p>“‘Night, Mom.”</p><p>Daisy said it so quietly that Melinda wasn’t even sure if she had heard it correctly. When she looked back down at her, she seemed to fast asleep once again, her breathing completely even and her face relaxed. Melinda swallowed thickly against the sudden tightness in her throat at the sight.</p><p>She had always wanted children, but after her divorce… well, she wasn’t sure if she would ever get the chance to be a mother again. She would sometimes wonder if she was even fit to be one, especially with how busy she always ended up being and how hard it was to be vulnerable enough with someone to even consider it. </p><p>Well, until she met Phil. All he had to do was look at her a certain way and she was suddenly all too willing to bring more little Daisys into the world with him.</p><p>She couldn't bring herself to feel strange about being called "Mom", because deep down inside...it felt right.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>It was nights like these that Phil seriously considered handing the shop off to Fitz and Jemma. It had taken three whole hours to figure out the problem, fix it, and get the man and his sons out of there. His hands ached, his back hurt, and his eyes burned from all the smoke and steam that the run-down van had let out. It seemed like an almost impossible task walking up the driveway, the lock on the door seeming out of focus as he struggled to put his key in. Thankfully the hall light was still on, allowing him to lazily toe off his shoes and stumble up the stairs towards his bedroom.</p><p>The only light he could see was coming from his bedroom, and his lips lifted when he realized who must have been in there.</p><p>He chuckled softly when he entered the doorway, finding Melinda and Daisy fast asleep on his bed. Daisy was in the unicorn onesie she had begged him to get her, and Melinda was wearing the shirt-and-shorts combo of his that she had worn the night before. He tried not to feel too smug about it, but the fact of the matter was that she had purposely chosen to wear that instead of her now clean and dry pajamas that she’d packed in her duffel bag.</p><p>Melinda was propped up against the headboard, her head back against the wall above the headboard and her arms crossed over her chest. Daisy was curled against the side of her thigh, snoring softly as the tv ran the credits for whatever movie they had been watching.</p><p>The floor creaked when Phil stepped into the room, and he froze in place when he heard Daisy groan and saw her stretch. He bit his lip to try and keep quiet, hoping Daisy would just roll over and fall back to sleep like she did when she was a baby. </p><p>Unfortunately, she didn’t.</p><p>“Mm...Dad?” she yawned, rolling onto her back and sitting up on her elbows to blink drowsily at him. “You’re home.”</p><p>“Hey, Angel Eyes. Yeah it ended up taking a little longer than usual to get that van out of there, but we did it.” he said softly, walking over to her side and running a hand over her head. “I’m just gonna get ready for bed, you don’t have to get up.”</p><p>Daisy looked like she had something else she wanted to say, but all she did was flop back down onto the bed with a sleepy groan. Melinda grunted at the way the bed shifted, but instead of waking up, she slid down until her head was on the pillow and settled again with her back to Phil and Daisy. Phil couldn’t stop the doofy grin that spread over his lips, his heart doing laps of his chest as he watched her hair cascading over his pillow. He had a feeling that pillow would become one of his favorites very soon. He shook himself slightly, turning his attention to his daughter who had gone back to snoring on top of the covers. Phil rolled his eyes, scooping her up and holding her to his chest while he turned down the comforter and sheets.</p><p>He tucked her in, straightening with his hands on his hips and a satisfied smile on his lips. He never minded letting Daisy sleep in his bed, especially since she always slept better with him there, but she did have a tendency to squirm and roll around to the point where he’d end up clinging to the 20% of the bed that she hadn’t yet commandeered. His remedy for that? Tucking her in so tightly that her legs had no choice but to stay still. Without her little soccer pistons, she usually didn’t do much moving at all besides occasionally smacking him in the face with her arm.</p><p>He could handle getting smacked. Kicking, not so much.</p><p>He settled into bed half an hour later, yawning and scooting Daisy over so she was positioned between him and Melinda. From his position, he could still see her lying there, fast asleep with her back to him. He bit his lip, wondering if maybe he should wake her up so she could go back to the guest room. </p><p>He was very okay with her spending the night in his bed, but the last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable when she woke up there. </p><p>Sure she had made it very clear how she felt about him, and he was 94% sure she wasn't going to just up and leave him...but there was still that piece of him that wanted to do everything in its power to make sure she never had a reason to walk away.</p><p>But as soon as he reached over Daisy to try and gently shake Melinda awake, she rolled onto her back and let out a content sigh. Her head lolled to the side, the moonlight from the window on her side of the bed making her hair practically glow. His heart turned into liquid in his chest, and he was sure his entire face had gone soft at the pure serenity written all over her features.</p><p>He fell asleep with a dopey smile on his face, looking forward to opening his eyes in the morning.</p><p>XXXXXX</p><p>Melinda wasn’t sure what woke her up. There was no alarm, no hand on her face or voice coaxing her awake… just the gently shuffling of the leaves in the trees outside the house. She opened her eyes slowly, sighing softly at the sunlight streaming through the window that gave the room a warm glow. Her eyes took a moment to focus, but when they finally did, her heart skipped several beats at who she found snoring softly beside her.</p><p>Phil lay on his side, the side of his head resting comfortably on the soft pillow. One of his arms was tucked beneath the pillow, giving the pillow that extra bit of support that he apparently liked. His right arm was hidden from her direct line of sight, but judging from the placement and position of his shoulder, it was tucked beneath the blankets in the small expanse between them. His eyes were closed, the comforter on his torso rising and falling slowly in time with his breathing. Melinda shifted slightly, a wave of heat crawling up her face when she felt something against her hip. She bit her bottom lip to keep from making any sound, slowly lifting the comforter to see what was so warm and soft against her.</p><p>Phil’s palm was resting gently on her side as if it belonged there, his thumb occasionally rubbing a soothing trail over her skin before it stilled again. She looked up to his face again, trying to discern if he was doing it consciously and was just choosing not to open his eyes. His breathing was still deep and even, his hand still limp even as she gingerly shifted onto her back. It now rested over her bellybutton, his thumb and forefinger bunching part of her shirt as his brow furrowed. He groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open as he slowly came to. He yawned, blinking against the sunlight spilling into the room. Melinda just laid there, watching him, her entire body tingling when his drowsy gaze landed on her face for a few tense moments before he yawned yet again.</p><p>"Mm…" he groaned, removing his hand from her torso as he stretched lazily, his eyes closed once again. "Now there's a view I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning."</p><p>"You're not too bad yourself." Melinda smirked, running her fingers gingerly through his sleep-mussed hair, her heart melting when he sighed and leaned into her touch.</p><p>Phil's eyes shot open then, shock written all over his face as he stared at her. His mouth hung open as he sat up, his face beet red as he fumbled through an apology.</p><p>"Sorry, I… I thought I was still asleep… dreaming. I thought I was uh...dreaming. I didn't mean to- um..." he paused, realizing Melinda didn't look scandalized or appalled, just amused as she laid there beside him, smiling. "I'm overreacting, aren't I?"</p><p>"Maybe a little bit." Melinda nodded, laughing softly as she stretched her arms over her head. "I'm getting used to it."</p><p>Phil chuckled awkwardly, unable to keep from staring as she let out a content sigh and blinked lazily up at him.</p><p>"Where's Daisy?" She asked, unaware of how mesmerized he was just seeing her so comfortable and content.</p><p>"I'm not sure, actually. She's usually the one shaking me awake." He tore his gaze from her, looking around the room with genuine curiosity. "We should probably go look for her." </p><p>"Mm, yeah." She hummed, shifting out of the bed and stretching again with a long groan.</p><p>Phil couldn't help himself. Before he could second guess it, he had intercepted her on the way to the door and had stolen a kiss that she apparently didn't mind, if the pleased hum she let loose was any indication. He pulled away with a bit of reluctance, pressing his forehead gently to hers as he spoke.</p><p>"Melinda, I just…" he swallowed, taking a moment to tighten his grip on her hips ever so slightly. "Before we go down there, I have to know."</p><p>"Anything." She whispered, her fingers twisting in the fabric of his sleep shirt.</p><p>"Please tell me that you're staying. That you feel this, whatever it is, between us."</p><p>Melinda pulled back then, her brow knitted in concern at the fear in his eyes. After everything they’d been through, all the time she had shown him she cared, all the kisses they had traded and all the ways she had allowed him to take care of her… he was still doubting how perfect for her he was.</p><p>"I thought I made it clear how I feel, Phil...You make me happier than I’ve been in...such a long time and-” she sighed heavily, tears welling up in her eyes as she let out a tearful laugh. “And I’m so glad my car broke down.”</p><p>“Me too.” he grinned, a single tear rolling down his cheek that Melinda gently wiped away. “I love you, Melinda. I was so scared to admit it before because we just met a few days ago, and I didn’t want you to feel like I was coming on too strong, even after we kissed. But I do love you. I love you so much. I can’t imagine life without you here, without seeing you every day, hearing you laugh, seeing you smile… I’m so in love with you Melinda May it’s crazy.”</p><p>“Not quite as crazy as you might think. I’m in love with you too.” She mumbled, her forehead against his chest, sniffling wetly. “I didn’t know I could love anyone this way again, not the way I should. I thought I had lost my chance after my divorce but… I really do love you Phil Coulson. And I love Daisy. She’s...incredible.”</p><p>“She loves you too.” he whispered into her hair, pressing kisses to her head as he fought back more tears in response to her confession. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you care about her. After Audrey died I…” he swallowed hard past the onslaught of memories. “Daisy needs someone who understands her in a way I never will, and I was begging the universe that you would be that someone...for both of our sakes.”</p><p>“I wanted to stay from the minute I met you both.” she half-blurted, her face feeling warm with the embarrassment that came from admitting something so ridiculous. “I was just afraid to consider it.”</p><p>Phil’s chuckle rumbled through his chest, and for a while they were content to simply stand there and hold each other, trading tender kisses and falling even more in love with each other. The sound of a pan clunking against a counter shook them back to reality, and Melinda pulled back enough to stare up into his eyes.</p><p>“Should we go stop her before she burns down the house?” she didn’t try to hide the excitement in her eyes when she realized she had called his home ‘the house’. “And tell her the news?”</p><p>“That you’re staying?” he grinned, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that left her a little dazed and unbalanced on her feet. It was a good thing she had his embrace to count on to keep her upright. “Of course. She’ll be thrilled.”</p><p>------</p><p>Daisy half-screamed when Phil scooped her up into his arms, her delighted squeals filling the kitchen as Melinda joined them.</p><p>“Good morning, Angel Eyes!” Phil grinned, setting her on the island and wiping a dollop of pancake mix off of her nose. “What are you doing down here?”</p><p>“Making breakfast, Dad. Obviously.” she rolled her eyes, her face lighting up when she noticed Melinda. “Good morning, Melinda!”</p><p>“Good morning, Daisy.” Melinda smiled in return, taking a moment to look around. There was what she assumed to be pancake mix smeared on nearly every surface, a half-burnt pancake hanging precariously out of the skillet on the stove and mashed fruit in piles in various bowls. “Looks like you’re having fun.”</p><p>“I figured I’d make you guys breakfast since…” her eyes dropped to the pancake mix on her pants, picking at it with her fingertips. “Well since you’re leaving today. Felt like I needed to do something special.”</p><p>Phil froze at the counter, the towel in his hand already slathered with the fruit and mix he had been trying to clean up. His back was to Daisy, his eyes filled with concern when he and Melinda shared a look. He gave her a smile and an encouraging nod, turning back to the task at hand as Melinda let out a soft sigh.</p><p>“Daisy?”</p><p>Daisy glanced up at her when she joined her next to the island, but returned her gaze to her lap and shrugged in response to her question.</p><p>“I don’t mean to make you feel bad or anything about leaving us. I’m just...I’m gonna miss you is all. Here, Dad.” she muttered, handing Phil the small pile of dirty paper towels she had been using to clean up before they got there. He took it, giving both of his girls a small smile which was only returned by one of them. Daisy’s gaze was still on her lap, her bottom lip trembling slightly and her fingers tightly locked together. It didn’t help when Melinda reached up and gently caressed her cheek, her thumb wiping away the single tear that fell. Daisy huffed, reaching up to wipe another tear from her opposite cheek. “Sorry, I’m really not trying to guilt-trip you by crying.”</p><p>“Well it would be very effective guilt-tripping, I’ll give you that.” </p><p>“Gee, thanks.” Daisy snorted, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.</p><p>“Too bad it’s being wasted since I’m not leaving anymore. You’ve got a real talent.”</p><p>Daisy’s gaze shot up to hers so fast it made Melinda want to laugh out loud. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open in shock. Behind her, Phil chuckled at her expression, coming up behind Melinda to wrap an arm around her waist. Daisy looked between the two of them expectantly, waiting for either confirmation or for one of them to say ‘sike!’ and ruin the rest of her day.</p><p>“What?” she finally managed, her stomach fluttering the way it always did when she was nervous.</p><p>“No I’m serious, Daisy. You have a gift. If playing soccer doesn’t work out, you could really have a career in guilt-tripping.” Melinda winked, tears in her eyes once again when she saw how wet Daisy’s were becoming.</p><p>“I bet the pay would be pretty decent too.” Phil added, the raw emotion in his voice dampening the playfulness of his words. “You could start adding money to your own college fund.”</p><p>“Alright, alright stop it already!” Daisy full-on laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes with the brightest grin Melinda had ever seen. “You two spend too much time together.”</p><p>“It’ll only get worse from here Daisy girl.” Phil snorted, his arms out when he saw her squirming anxiously on the island.</p><p>Despite being prepared for it, he still grunted when she launched herself off of the counter, both arms wrapping around his neck. She shifted backwards with a tearful grin, looping one arm around Phil’s neck and reaching the other out to Melinda.</p><p>“Come on, Mom.” she half-whispered. Daisy’s voice broke on the last word, and before it was fully out into the air Melinda was there, one arm around Daisy’s small frame and the other around Phil’s back. Her head rested on one side of his chest, Daisy’s on the other. The little girl smiled widely at her, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking Phil’s shirt. “I love you, Mom and Dad.”</p><p>Melinda’s eyes fell shut before she could respond, her throat closing up with unshed tears of pure joy. All she could do was smile, allowing Phil to tearfully respond for both of them.</p><p>“We love you too, Angel Eyes.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>CHAPTER 5 COMING</p><p> </p><p>UH IDK WHEN SORRY I WANNA FINISH IT SOON BUT NO PROMISES SOWWY</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Go ahead and leave any ideas you have for the other chapters in the comments! </p><p>This was a rough one to write since I'm not super experienced with AUs. Hope you enjoyed!</p><p>Also, it was brought to my attention that I didn't mention that Daisy was adopted from China. I appreciate the attention to detail, and have done my best to fix this error. </p><p>Let me know if you find anything else that seems off. But please remember that this is an AU, so the fact that Jemma and Fitz are adults while Daisy and the others are not is somewhat intentional.</p><p>Thanks again!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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